My Life as a Traitor by Zarah Ghahramani

My Life as a Traitor

by Zarah Ghahramani

Ghahramani, 20, an Iranian student, was swept off the streets of Tehran and taken to the notorious Evin prison, where criminals and political dissidents were held side by side in conditions of legendary brutality. Her crime, she asserts, was sliding back her headscarf to feel the sun on her hair. This led to a political activism fueled by the fearless idealism of the young. Her parents begged her to be prudent, but even they could not have imagined the horrors she faced in prison. She underwent psychological and physical torture, fighting despair by recalling her idyllic childhood in an affectionate family that prized tolerance and freedom of thought. After a show trial, Ghahramani was driven deep into the desert outside Tehran, uncertain if she was to be executed or freed. There she was abandoned to begin the long walk back.--From publisher description

Reviewed by kerrydarkeyes on

3 of 5 stars

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Interesting account of Iranian life after the Revolution - and what it's like to be a prisoner with no trial - but the writing style (and wording) definitely felt laborious at times.

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  • Started reading
  • 5 May, 2014: Finished reading
  • 5 May, 2014: Reviewed