My Name Means Fire: A Memoir

by Atash Yaghmaian

“I was riveted by this searing ode to the resiliency of the human psyche, rich in beauty and devastation.”—Melissa Febos, author of Girlhood

An unflinching and stunning debut memoir of an Iranian girl’s coming-of-age experiencing abuse, war, and superstition—and her survival through dissociative identity disorder, which offered her an inner world into which she could escape

When she was a child, Atash Yaghmaian’s home life was a confusing mix of love and terror. Outside of her home, Iran was also on fire. Her reality of abuse, war, gender oppression, and religious superstition left her feeling unsafe everywhere. So, she left reality and disassociated into a place she called the House of a building in a magical forest full of peaceful creatures, kind talking trees, and volcanoes. Inhabiting this world are 9 beings, each different parts of Atash, who would be her salvation from the external horrors of her outer world.

Set against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini’s regime, and the 8-year Iran-Iraq War, My Name Means Fire is Atash’s story of survival as she experiences tragic events including sexual abuse, a mother who subjected her to superstitious rituals, and the horrors of war. In chapters alternating with what’s happening in her outside world, her other parts—each named after a color—tell the story of her inner world, giving readers an understanding of what it’s like to be inside the consciousness of someone who is multiple.

Honest, powerful, and moving, My Name Means Fire is a bold narrative that challenges the stigma and misinformation around dissociative identity disorder (DID) and ultimately reckons with what it takes to survive.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Autobiography, Psychology

245 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2025

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible and riveting debut memoir of a young girl growing up in Iran.

Surrounded by the horrors of war, abusive men, and a superstitious mother, Atash creates a magical world that protects her from the real world.

The structure of the book alternates between the real world of Atash and the colorful fragments that make up Atash, revealing her survival mechanism through dissociative identity disorder that will grip you from beginning to end.

What a beautiful and harrowing story of survival and determination.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Educate yourself with this memoir. Set in the 70s and 80s growing up in Iran for a young girl. This story is one the world needs to hear. I absolutely loved this because so many people in western culture are stuck in it and not educated on other people’s reality in other parts of our world. I highly recommend you check this book out!

[lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting memoir of a young girl growing up in Iran during the 1970s and 1980s, who developed dissociative identity disorder to survive her traumatic childhood. This was a pretty good book, but so much of it seemed to be written as the author was discovering things about herself that she had forgotten, so a lot of it wasn't explained as fully as it should have been. I was also frustrated at the end of the book when I realized that it was going to end just as the author finally made her escape to the United States, i.e. just as the story seemed to be picking up. I hope she writes another, since the paragraph summary at the end of the book didn't do it justice.

I also would have liked to hear more about the alters, since their part of the book mostly seems to be their origin story. What did they truly experience with Atash, and how did they help her? I understand that since the writing of this book the author has discovered more alters. I hope we hear more about them in a future book.

[Molly Winter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set against a back-drop of war-torn Iran in the 1970s and 80s, My Name Means Fire is a breathtaking memoir about a young girl and her many parts. This is a story of abuse and trauma, but it is also a story of courage, love and hope. The author lives with dissociative identity disorder (DID), and this memoir, which tracks the emergence of her various parts, will change the way many people view this condition. I particularly love the way the story is structured--chapters alternate among the perspective of the author's parts, who are known by different colors. The effect is spellbinding. You won't want to put this one down.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC to review.

I think what sets this memoir apart from others it that the author labels her different personalities as colors, and we get to meet them in between chapters about her life. It provides a really unique experience while also being a fascinating memoir. Even if my upbringing was not as traumatic, there were parts that made me reflect on my life and understand it just a little better.

[Sarah Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book, and the author is a good writer. Big trigger warning (sexual trauma & warzones) but this is one of the more accurate depictions of DID I've seen in media (most of them are pretty bad). I love a memoir, and this one was endearing with a happy ending.

[The Page Ladies Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some memoirs recount; others immerse. My Name Means Fire does both, drawing you into a harrowing childhood in post-revolution Iran while also opening the door to the extraordinary inner world that helped Atash Yaghmaian survive.

The book moves between two planes: the outer world of abuse, war, gender oppression, and superstition, and the inner House of Stone, a magical refuge populated by nine beings, each representing a different part of Atash herself. The juxtaposition is powerful. One chapter might detail the terror of bombings or the suffocating rules of Khomeini’s regime; the next, a gentle conversation with a kind tree or a volcano guardian in her inner sanctuary. The structure lets us experience dissociation not as an abstraction but as a living, breathing place, a strategy of survival when reality becomes unbearable.

Yaghmaian’s prose is at once unflinching and lyrical. She doesn’t shy away from the devastating realities of sexual abuse, superstition, and war, but she also gives voice to resilience, creativity, and the fractured brilliance of a mind that refused to break. Reading it feels like being guided through both a war zone and a dreamscape at once, and by the end, the title My Name Means Fire rings with both pain and power.

If you’re interested in memoirs that blend narrative innovation with raw honesty think Educated crossed with The Body Keeps the Score this book is a striking, unforgettable read.

⚡️Thank you Beacon Press and Atash Yaghmaian for sharing this book with me!

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book by a woman who grew up in Iran during the Iranian revolution and war with Iraq. Alongside these issues, she endured sexual abuse and cruelty from family members and teachers alike. I enjoy learning about Iranian culture and beliefs, but that was only half of it.......

At the same time, Atash was developing Dissociative Identity Disorder (multiple personalities) from a young age as a coping mechanism against all this trauma. Woven between chapters telling her story of Iranian culture and her dysfunctional family life, were chapters on each of the colors that represented alternate personalities and their flights of fancy. These were fantasy tales that didn't make that much sense, but perhaps that was the point, since she couldn't remember what she'd really been doing while becoming a different personality.

The book ended with her arrival in America with no details about what happened afterward. She clearly managed to become successful and works to help others. Hopefully she will eventually write another book about that part of her life.

[Dalyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yaron Weitzman’s A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers is a riveting, behind the scenes chronicle of ego, legacy, and power inside one of sports’ most iconic franchises. With masterful storytelling and razor sharp reporting, Weitzman pulls back the curtain on the combustible partnership between LeBron James and the Buss family, capturing the intensity, ambition, and fragility that define modern professional basketball.

Drawing from over 250 interviews, Weitzman weaves a cinematic portrait of a team balancing greatness and dysfunction a story where talent collides with politics, and triumph comes at a cost. His prose crackles with journalistic precision and dramatic flair, turning locker room whispers into gripping narrative. A Hollywood Ending isn’t just a sports book; it’s a study of power, identity, and the relentless pursuit of control in the age of celebrity and brand. This is sportswriting at its most intelligent, entertaining, and human.

[Tricia Cassavaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Thank you to Goodreads and Beacon Press for this ARC that I won in a giveaway.

This memoir was heartbreaking- Atash was so resilient and did what she needed to do to protect herself. Gave me a better understanding of dissociative identity disorder.

I wish there had been one more chapter where she talked about how her life is currently.

[Mitra Pourmehraban · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating memoir of a young girl battling dissociative identity disorder as a result of her upbringing filled with physical, sexual, and emotional abuse set during the Islamic Revolution in Iran. This is not an easy read.

[Kimberlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Won this book in a giveaway. Absolutely fascinating how the brain sometimes copes with trauma.