Monday, 9 January 2012

Must Read: Prisoner of Tehran




One of this year's Canada Reads selections, Prisoner of Tehran: A Memoir by Marina Nemet is an unforgettable read.

The non-fictional account of Nemet's life in Iran and her experience as a political prisoner in Tehran's infamous Evin prison. This autobiography tells of a young girls life in this distant country, but as we read her story, we can relate to her as any other little girl with hopes and dreams. Nemet tells of her childhood friends, her experiences with a distant father, cold mother, her school time and her trips to the Caspian Sea for sunny holidays.


As she grows up, she develops and undying spirit and need to voice disapproval at an increasingly intolerant Muslim regime. She tells of the impending uprising in Iran, and shows the reader the personal experiences of students who try to oppose the radical, conservative movement. Eventually, due to her stand against oppression, she is arrested and sentenced to death in Evin. Upon her arrival, she is tortured, and stripped of any dignity; and yet during this ordeal, she never gives up hope that she will see justice and freedom again.

While she is imprisoned, Ali, one of her captors chooses her as his future wife. For reasons that make no sense to her, Ali goes to extraordinary lengths to protect her and save her from death. Nemet grapples with this special treatment and never really gets over the guilt and shame of being singled out from all of her other imprisoned friends. She is overwhelmed by guilt, hatred towards her captors (including Ali) and the feeling that she is being trapped, and has lost every imaginable type of freedom.

Marina Nemat is an incredible woman. Her story of her struggle in Iran and in Evin must be read and publicised for the benefit of those women who continue to suffer this regime. The novels postscript is a chilling reminder that these atrocities continue today, and reach women beyond Iran's borders. Nemat specifically calls out to Canadians when she prays for the Canadian Zahra Kazemi who was brutally tortured, raped and murdered in Evin on July 11 2003.


This novel is an incredibly insightful book, that I couldn't put down. I woke up at 3 am today so that I could finish it. I highly recommend this autobiography, and hope that more Western women read it and learn about a country that is far away, but my come much closer to us than we ever thought.


Marina Nemat now lives in the Greater Toronto Area with her beloved husband and two sons. Her candor and strength is a gift to Canada and all women should read about her strength and unending struggle for freedom.


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