Azadeh Moaveni was an American reporter covering the rise of Ahmadinejad in Tehran when the unexpected happened: she met her soul-mate, fell in love, and became pregnant. Facing an uncertain future, she continued to publish increasingly sensitive reports on Iran, while hiding her pregnancy from the religious authorities until she could marry. Shortly after giving birth, a government source, known mysteriously as Mr. X, told her that she was the subject of an investigation and would soon be arrested and sent to the notorious Evin prison. As it became evident that she was being spied on, Moaveni feared for her safety and that of her young family, and in 2007, she fled the country she had hoped to help through her journalism. This is a powerful and poignant story about a young woman facing her future in a very dangerous place. "Sharp and written with ferociously brilliant reporting…Azadeh Moaveni's nuanced perspective on her ancestors' homeland is without peer." "An indelible portrait of the author's family and a highly personal take on Iran's social and political evolution." "For Moaveni, born and raised in California, Iranis both an intimate and a stranger, a familiar motherland and an alienating theocracy…Yet it isn't only the contradictions of a child of exiles sorting out her identity crisis that makes this book worthwhile. It's the seductive contradictions of the motherland itself." "Moaveni describes her daily battles as a journalist in chilling detail…her keen eye for detail and her astute observations make for exhilarating reading." "A story of coming-of-age in two cultures with a keen eye and a measured tone." "This perfect blend of political commentary and social observation is an excellent choice for readers interested in going beyond the headlines to gain an in-depth understanding of twenty-first-century Iran." "MacDuffie conveys Moaveni's real pleasure in the country of her ancestors as well as her frustration with political events…MacDuffie creates distinctions among the many voices through tonal changes rather than accent and dialect variations. Young and old, men and women, friendly and menacing, the characters materialize in our imaginations. Unfamiliar words and names flow easily, and Macduffie's fluid reading makes this an engaging and informative look at modern Iran." "A rare, rich glimpse inside a closed society."
