Tenth book for the year.
Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody is the true story of an American woman who escaped Iran with her daughter in 1986. She had married an Iranian man. They went to Iran for "vacation" and at the end of the "vacation" she was told she would never be allowed to go home again. The account was riveting. I finished this 415 page book in 5 days. Looking back a lot of the details are a blur.
I am glad that I read Not Without My Daughter.
I learned things about the Persian culture. I love to learn about different people and customs around the world. I was surprised at the beginning of the book to see in what a harsh light she painted the Iranian family. I wondered if she was being prejudice. As the story unfolds she meets kind and hygienic Iranians so I could see that Betty did not see all Iranian people as a homogeneous group of bad people.
Throughout this book I was provoked to do lots of thinking. Had Betty not been so determined and strong willed the outcome would have been very different. Stories like this make me wonder what I would do in that situation. Would I be strong enough, smart enough, stubborn enough, or would I give up and make excuses? I am just a woman. I have no rights. It's too hard. Betty never gave up. I want to be the kind of woman who never gives up.
2 comments:
This looks like a book I would enjoy reading. It was made into a movie in the early 1990s, starring Sally Field. I have not seen the movie, though. Perhaps I will read the book and then watch the movie afterwards. Thanks for the book review! -Alyssa
Thank you for the comment, Alyssa!
I saw the trailer and few clips from the movie before I read the book. Since reading the book I have watched interviews of Betty Mahmoody at the time of the film release. It sounds like she was heavily involved in the production. I also learned the her daughter, Mahtob, has written a book about her experience. I have been interested in reading it, as well.
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