Betty Mahmoody narrates her survival and eventual flight from Tehran following a 1984 family vacation that turned into a forced detention. Her husband, Sayyed Bozorg Mahmoody, took Betty and their young daughter, Mahtob, to Iran under the premise of a brief visit, only to declare they would never return to the United States. The account details the two years Betty spent under house arrest and physical abuse within an increasingly hostile political environment during the Iran-Iraq War. She describes her secret efforts to contact the Swiss embassy and her dangerous trek across the snowy Zagros Mountains into Turkey with Mahtob.
Readers of international memoirs and true-life escape stories value this book for its focus on cross-cultural conflict and legal jurisdiction over parental rights. It attracts those interested in the logistical realities of escaping a closed society without a passport or legal status. The reader gains a specific perspective on the internal social dynamics of post-revolutionary Iran and the psychological endurance required to navigate a hostile domestic environment while planning a high-stakes clandestine exit.
Inward-looking and clear-cut; an easy read.
Best for readers like The Growth Strategist. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1987
- Language
- EN
