Not Without My Daughter

Product Information

She had lost fifty pounds, her hair had turned gray, and her mother and older children didn't recognize her at the airport. Was she being disingenuous regarding the circumstances surrounding her departure from the United States and about the length of her stay in Iran? A moving and inspiring story of of one woman’s courage and determination to get her and her daughter to safety and escape from an abusive and tyrannical Iranian husband and father. After all, by all accounts, Said Mahmoody was clear, on multiple occasions, that he would find and kill her when or if she tried to escape, but not before he ensured that his daughter would be raised in a misogynistic war zone wherein she would be subject to abuse and compelled to renounce her faith, her way of life, and her place of birth.

I recommended it to our book club members to read and they all say it is a fascinating story and worth reading. Not Without My Daughter is an account of her experiences in 1984-1986, when she left Michigan, to go to Iran with her husband and daughter for what she was promised would be a short visit. In September, while Moody was away, Betty and Mahtob traveled to the Swiss Embassy and spoke to Helen.Betty Mahmoody agrees to visit Iran with her husband, Moody, and daughter, Mahtob, despite niggling thoughts to the contrary. When the movie, “Not Without My Daughter” came out back in 1991, I remember hearing that many of my fellow countrymen boycotted it. it is obvious that this is a story of a woman… but there are many such similar criticisms related to same scenarios…… living with death threat is one of them…. There were some incredible kind-hearted individuals also, those who helped and befriended Betty in whatever way they could.

When they had landed in Tehran, Moody's family had gathered at the airport to meet them and showered them with gifts. One day, an unnamed individual instructed Betty to go to an address and ask for the manager Amahl, who would find a way for both Betty and Mahtob to escape.Once there, they would take a boat and travel across the Persian Gulf to one of the Gulf Arab States.

I think Betty portrayed the people she knew in Iran as she remembered them but I’m not confident they were exactly as described. A couple days later, Judy invited Betty to a party where she could talk to Judy's friend Rasheed about finding a way to escape the country. To put it in perspective, Mahmoody co-wrote the book with William Hoffer who wrote Midnight Express, a novel that also happens to be racist and xenophobic against Turkey.Most purchases from business sellers are protected by the Consumer Contract Regulations 2013 which give you the right to cancel the purchase within 14 days after the day you receive the item. She also details, in the follow up, what it was like to come back to America and try to put her life back together. I know I'm probably going to get a huge backlash for saying that but I just could not empathize with the author.