Maman

by Moris K. Niknam

The story of Maman is the fascinating life's journey of a faithful, steadfast, and purposeful Jewish-Iranian mother. Married at a very young age, Maman raised seven children through poverty and severe Iranian political upheaval. Her unfailing faith in God and her love for her homeland, Iran, gave her strength to provide the best memories for her family, even during difficult times.

The story of Maman gives a powerful perspective on life for anyone raising children through life's many trials.

Maman is the Persian word for Mama.

170 pages, Paperback

Published August 9, 2016

Reviews

[Payal Sinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maman is a heart warming tale of a Jewish Iranian mother. The book is written as a dedication by a loving son to his encouraging and very loving mother who blessed his life with innumerable happy moments even in highly difficult times. The story starts with Nana who lived in a difficult time when the economy of Iran was a zero. She gave birth to Aziza who is later known as Maman by the author. While the book is interesting enough, what I found more appealing were the cultural details of the community. Here a boy simply enters a room and selects his bride by looking over few teenage girls sitting together. Once, he has made his selection then nobody could refute him. Even the girl does not have any say in her own marriage. Marriages were a community affair where everyone contributed in a girl's wedding since the money was quite short. Apart from the economical troubles there were also problems from the Muslim society. Yet, Maman continued to hold on to her good wit and her humor and although becoming mother at a tender age of fourteen she showed great responsibility and courage in tending to her entire family.
The book is very short and completes within a few hours, but I found the time and money well spent. and advocate this book for its lessons of love, courage and humanity

[RR.Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A tale of struggle through hardship is one we can all relate to...

A tale of struggle through hardship is one we can all relate to. The story set out inside Maman is one which is most likely typical of many families living in these countries. Even as I write this review, and I'm sure, even as you are reading it, I am sure there are families who are struggling through the same things that the people described in this book went through. Despite the fact that Maman was raised and lived in a completely different cultural and religious setting to me, I found I could relate to the core themes detailed within the book. Having being forced to have two children at a young age myself, I found I could personally relate to the struggles that Maman went through. I can hardly imagine though how difficult having 7 children in total, especially in a country that does not provide welfare for the poor, like many Western countries do.

[Archie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice short dedication from the son to his mother, teaching about love, life and humanity on one hand and providing knowledge, information and educating readers about other cultures (in this case the Iranian Jewish culture). “Maman” meaning mama, is the story of a girl, who became mother at a very early age of fourteen, showed a great sense of responsibility and courage towards her family. She faced many hardships to raise her seven children and this story is her journey of various trials and difficult ups and downs throughout her life.
Maman is an example of love, a strong believer, a sacrificing ideal mother who puts her children’s first, faces challenges, but still maintains her humor, smile and her positive attitude. To be honest, this story of Maman is a actually a real life of many mothers, in many such countries, who are brave, dedicated and face various hardships to raise their children, with strong beliefs and positivity!

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author paints a lovely picture of his mother and grandmother in this book, which features all their good times and bad times. In that respect, it is not only an excellent story, but it is also something that is unique, since it is written from an insider point of view, but also told in a way that an outsider can understand. While I can fully grasp the cultural differences in the different parts of the world that are mentioned, I was a little lost in the fact that Maman was not speaking in Hebrew phrases for most of the book, especially since she was very much into her religious practices. However, that obviously doesn’t make her any less devout. There is no excuse for the hatred that she and her family faced, and it is nice that she had people to love and lean on. If you are interested in reading a story of perseverance and undying faith, this may be something you’ll enjoy.

[Renee Spicuzza · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Maman” is Moris Nikman’s novel that follows Maman, a Jewish-Iranian mother and the trials and tribulations she faces throughout her life. Her journey starts out by being married early in life and then having seven children that she raises. She proceeds to try and live a life that is allowing God to always be a positive entity in her life even when she is faced with upheaval from the extreme changes occurring in her home country. She is literally the ideal person as a character in both fiction and real life because she is so strong and is able to remain steadfast in her beliefs and convictions in the face of adversity. I am not personally a mother, but I have one, so to see the struggles that Maman continued to go through and was always trying to put her children first, was very difficult, but also enlightening on the idea of parenting.