Prisoner of Tehran: One Woman's Story of Survival Inside an Iranian Prison

by Marina Nemat

336 pages, Paperback

Published May 6, 2008

About the author

Marina Nemat was born in 1965 in Tehran, Iran. After the Islamic Revolution of 1979, she was arrested at the age of sixteen and spent more than two years in Evin, a political prison in Tehran, where she was tortured and came very close to execution. She came to Canada in 1991 and has called it home ever since. Her memoir of her life in Iran, Prisoner of Tehran, was published in Canada by Penguin Canada in April 2007, has been published in 28 other countries, and has been an international bestseller. MacLean’s Magazine has called it “…one of the finest (memoirs) ever written by a Canadian.” Prisoner of Tehran has been short listed for many literary awards, including the Young Minds Award in the UK and the Borders Original Voices Award in the US. On December 15, 2007, Marina received the inaugural Human Dignity Award from the European Parliament, and in October 2008, she received the prestigious Grinzane Prize in Italy. In 2008/2009, she was an Aurea Fellow at University of Toronto’s Massey College, where she wrote her second book, After Tehran: A Life Reclaimed, which was published by Penguin Canada on September 18, 2010, and has so far been published in four countries.

Reviews

[Greta G. Hambsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for book club 6/15. With Israel taking its mid-east war to Iran last week, this ended up being a very timely read. Although the memoir covered the time period from 1979 to 1985 in Tehran, the overthrow of the Shah and the establishment of a theocracy under the Ayatollah are of import today. Marina Nemat's telling of her time in prison, her first marriage, and her immigration to Canada are riveting.

[w gall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revealing this hellish story helped Marina feel her life was real again. It is very disillusioning to read how awful people can be to others. But I'm not scared, as my country heads down this path; like Marina, I have faith in God. I'm sad, though.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible story. Marina Nemat does a great job at making the reader feel like you're right there with her. I've read this book 4 times since it's been published, and I love it every time.