The Rumi Prescription: How an Ancient Mystic Poet Changed My Modern Manic Life

by Melody Moezzi

A powerful personal journey to find meaning and life lessons in the words of a wildly popular 13th century poet.

Rumi's inspiring and deceptively simple poems have been called ecstatic, mystical, and devotional. To writer and activist Melody Moezzi, they became a lifeline. In The Rumi Prescription, we follow her path of discovery as she translates Rumi's works for herself - to gain wisdom and insight in the face of a creative and spiritual roadblock. With the help of her father, who is a lifelong fan of Rumi's poetry, she immerses herself in this rich body of work, and discovers a 13th-century prescription for modern life.

Addressing isolation, distraction, depression, fear, and other everyday challenges we face, the book offers a roadmap for living with intention and ease, and embracing love at every turn--despite our deeply divided and chaotic times. Most of all, it presents a vivid reminder that we already have the answers we seek, if we can just slow down to honor them.

- You went out in search of gold far and wide, but all along you were gold on the inside.

- Become the sky and the clouds that create the rain, not the gutter that carries it to the drain.

- You already own all the sustenance you seek. If only you'd wake up and take a peek.

- Quit being a drop. Make yourself an ocean.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Memoir, Mental Health, Spirituality, Philosophy, Self Help

272 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2020

About the author

Melody Moezzi is an Iranian-American Muslim author, attorney, activist, and visiting professor of creative nonfiction at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Kirkus calls her latest book, The Rumi Prescription: How an Ancient Mystic Poet Changed My Modern Manic Life, “a heartening narrative of family, transformation, and courage” that “could shatter a variety of prejudices and stereotypes.” She is also the author of Haldol and Hyacinths: A Bipolar Life and War on Error: Real Stories of American Muslims. She is a United Nations Global Expert and an Opinion Leader for the British Council’s “Our Shared Future” initiative, and her essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and myriad other outlets. She has also appeared as a commentator on many radio and television programs, including NPR, CNN, BBC, PBS, and others. A graduate of Wesleyan University and Emory University's School of Law and School of Public Health, Moezzi lives between Cambridge, Massachusetts and Wilmington, North Carolina with her husband, Matthew, and their ungrateful cats, Keshmesh and Nazanin. Follow her on Twitter at @MelodyMoezzi and on Instagram at @Melody.Moezzi.

Reviews

[Melody Moezzi]

I'm not rating this book because I wrote it, so I'm a tad biased. Leaving this note here to welcome my readers and invite you to get in touch if you're interested in having me visit your book club in person or via video chat: https://www.melodymoezzi.com/#/contac....

[🇵🇸🇵🇸 hasfia 🇵🇸🇵🇸 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Crying for a completely different reason, moezzi should have titled this after her father I can’t believe I cried because of Ahmed 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I’ll come back to write a proper review when I’m not half-way dying

[Deonna Kelli Sayed · Rating 5 out of 5]

Melody's book is the perfect book to read right now as we are facing this unprecedented, COVID-19 moment. Why? Because her memoir writes about how to deal with despair, uncertainty, and un-knowing filtered through her study of the mystic-poet, Rumi.

Melody writes through a deeply personal, often humorous, reflection as an Iranian-American feminist, a Muslim, who also lives with Bipolar Disorder. She embarks on a journey to study Rumi, in Persian, with her father. The experience is humbles her: she reads Persian at a grade school level, she is an impatient, self-centered person (these are her words, not mine), she wants things NOW. Melody, of course, is every high achieving, accomplished woman in America: she wants to control her world. Except, she can't. No one can. Through her study of Rumi, through her humorous and loving engagement with her father and her Iranian heritage, she learns to accept and find value in her own limitations.

This memoir is an engaging, humorous, and insightful read with Rumi as a commentator. This book is a perfect companion to the pause button we are all having to press right now. Melody's voice is effortless, yet sincere, as she brilliantly navigates the complexities of living with mental illness and living in America as culturally hybrid feminist. Who is the book for? Everyone.

[Yelda Basar Moers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to applaud Melody Moezzi for being so open and candid about her mental illness. The last time I read a memoir this raw it was Glennon Doyle’s memoir Love Warrior. Moezzi has struggled with bi-polar disorder and at one point was confined to a solitary cell. She has also survived a suicide attempt. As an Iranian-American, she has become an important advocate for mental health, especially for her community.

Now how does Rumi fit into all of this? In a recent struggle where Moezzi’s is left incapacitated, her father helps her by teaching her Rumi poems and she begins to translate them. Her father is a huge devotee of Rumi and through their time together she begins to shift and change for the better. Her father’s devotion to her wellbeing is the best part of the book—it is heartfelt and heartwarming!

However, in the end, what I believe rescued her was her father’s love for her and his love for Rumi rather than Rumi itself. Even when she finally visits Konya, Rumi’s holy resting place and tomb in Turkey, she is not impressed. She candidly says that she is not only bored by the mosques in Turkey, preferring to spend time with the Turkish cats instead, but that she hates mosques and all houses of worship, but especially mosques! This to me was very odd! But also bold! How many Muslims would say that without feeling it sacrilegious? There was also at most one to two pages devoted to Konya and I didn’t feel any spiritual wonder. So maybe she's trying to figure out her own spirituality. Maybe she's confused!

So I’m left to wonder at the end of this book...Was she saved by Rumi or was she saved by her father’s love for Rumi? I felt her respect for Rumi, but I have to be honest with you, I didn’t feel the love!

The author babbles a lot in this book, but I found it engaging. I liked her; there is something bold and sincere about her. She’s honest. She has a way with words and is a gifted writer. But there is something big missing here if this book is about Rumi— a soul, a love, a passion, and the wonder of Sufism. And I think she’s trying to figure herself out and her beliefs throughout the book, and though I enjoyed the journey, I was just left confused at times and wondering exactly what her relationship is to Islam, Sufism and Rumi.
✨
In the end, though, love did save the day! And that I guess that is what Rumi would have wanted anyhow as a prophet of love! So mission accomplished Rumi!

[Kerry Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book in a Goodreads Giveaway. Thank you!

I so badly wanted to like this book, a memoir of how a 13th century poet brought the author to find meaning and life lessons. I think, when it comes down to it, I find the writing engaging and the author’s story itself inspiring - she has had to overcome many challenges I can’t even imagine to get where she is, and I do believe it’s unspeakably brave to lay herself as bare as she does. But I think my problem comes down to something she says her father said to her early on - it’s about finding the heart in the poetry, not learning it by heart. I found myself overwhelmed by the quantity of the poems and the quantity of words and stories that seem more transactional than anything. Where is the growth? Where is the impact and change in the author and her life that the poetry encouraged? At times, there were pearls buried within; these were quite profound and all heart - but that’s just it. They were buried. I found myself often frustrated reading because I was searching for the heart, and kept having to put the book down, sometimes for days, because I was annoyed and frustrated with it and had to come back to it later. The further I got into it, the more this happened.

I would still use it as recommended reading, but with warning labels. And I’ll reread it, but instead flip to the end of each chapter and focus on the summary of poetry within it and meditate on that instead, perhaps then looking at the author’s context of any that seem to speak to me that day.

[Katey Flowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

After finishing this book, I feel at once shattered into a thousand pieces and yet more whole than I ever have. What an incredible journey Melody took us on, and what an honour it was to get experience it through her absolutely beautiful words.

Her experience of bipolar, and discussion of suicide and psychiatric hospital were especially hard hitting and relatable for me personally. I especially loved and appreciated how Melody walked a delicate line between acknowledging both the challenges and opportunities of complex mental illness. She never romanticised her experience, but she also honoured the mystical elements of her journey. Additionally, it was an absolute joy to watch the connection between Melody and her father flourish as they explored Rumi together.

This whole book was just so well written, thoughtful, sensitive, honest, and just oh so heartwarming. I loved every minute.

I’ve already ordered her book Haldol and Hyacinths because I just want more of Melody’s writing in my life! Thank you for giving us such a real and powerful book! 😭❤️

[Stephanie Barko]

This was the May 2024 selection of South Austin Spiritual Book Group.

Despite the mixed reviews of this memoir on Goodreads, I really liked it for its honest portrayal of the hard knocks that come with facing who you are in young adulthood. I would call it Rumi 2.0 if you've read Coleman Barks translations.

Melody's relationship with her dad was so special to me--the two let each other in with an ease and acceptance that was inspiring. I found myself constantly concerned for Melody's wellbeing if her dad were to die. Her spirituality was so intertwined with their bond, but she was aware of this and seemed prepared to disentagle it.

Melody possessed some skills that the younger generation does better than the older. The cool thing about that was that her dad let her support him with what she did better than he did or he'd let her teach him what she knew.

Our group had a rich discussion around the themes in this book. I would love to read more from Melody, especially if she continues to write about her relationship with her dad.

[Barbara White · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning memoir.

Filled with wisdom and humor and the occasional spark of outrage--from an Iranian-American, Muslim feminist--this book is raw and honest and beautiful.

I connected with it on many levels: as a mother, as a writer, as a poetry lover, as someone who lives in the trenches with mental illness.

It's the perfect read for now, a book that encourages you to slow down, breathe, enjoy the world around you, and choose hope. (As Melody's father says, "Stop rushing.") Above all, it's a father-daughter story that had me wishing my own father were still alive.

And the writing? Oh my.

[Pixie-Ann Healy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rumi Prescription: How an Ancient Mystic Poet Changed My Modern Manic Life is a tonic that inspires hope and positivity—precisely the book the world needs right now. With the same humor and searing honesty that made her previous book, Haldol & Hyacinths, a compelling, un-put-down-able read, in The Rumi Prescription Melody Moezzi brings the reader smack-dab into her quest for solutions to issues that plague us all—wanting, isolation, haste, depression, distraction, anxiety, anger, fear, disappointment, pride.

Who knew a 13th century mystic poet would have the answers? Ahmad Moezzi did. Ahmad, Moezzi’s dad, worked with Melody to translate Rumi’s poems and reveal the simple answer to overcoming chaos and confusion.

The Rumi Prescription is not merely a memoir about an author’s spiritual journey or a Persian poet. There are lessons and food for thought here about fathers and daughters, mental health, love, patience, and politics. Moezzi’s excellent writing grabs the reader immediately and never lets go. You’ll read it in one sitting, then read it again.

Rumi is exactly what the doctor ordered.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed The Rumi Prescription: How an Ancient Mystic Poet Changed My Modern Manic Life, which I read for a book club. I had no prior familiarity with Rumi, but am so glad we read this book. While Rumi is omnipresent throughout the book as a source of inspiration, wisdom, and much-needed reminders during challenging times, I experienced this book as, at its heart, a story of the author's relationship with her father. Moezzi's writing is beautiful, and she absolutely perfectly captures so many feelings that I've had (particularly in the context of experiences of ableism, sexism, and other exclusions, and experiences of being a writer and educator). Nothing in this book felt superfluous - every word, in its own way, felt important - and I found myself highlighting quite a lot (of both Rumi's words and Moezzi's). I will also note that organizationally, I liked how each chapter included a section at the end with all of the Rumi passages contained within that chapter. Highly recommend.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the author's memoir of her life as an Iranian-American with bi-polar disorder in the age of Trump. However, I didn't glean any deeper insights into Rumi's poetry (which I love). It might be helpful for someone new to Rumi.

[Kim D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible read. I couldn’t put it down and devoured it in two days. It left me feeling inspired and connected. It’s work like Melody Moezzi’s that changes the world. The power between these pages will leave any reader transformed. The translations of Rumi’s poetry and how to apply it to life’s hardships resonated somewhere deep within me. Read this book because it will uplift you and it will change you. The Rumi Prescription has heart, and it moved me through all of the emotions, distilling an ignited spirit. I’ll keep this one close by and return to it during times I need reassurance or some light. This is a book for everyone.

[Trisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened on audiobook. Listening to the soothing, rhythmic, and poetic language was such a prescription for me. A prescription for acceptance, tolerance, honesty, and justice. Highly recommend this book.

[Carolyn Halliday · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think “self-help” books can be wildly useful and I applaud people who read them and consequently adapt their strategies to better cope with their struggles, but in my experience, every self-help book that I open seems like it’s just a new spin on what has been said a million times over, and there really isn’t a need for more books saying the already said.

What caught my attention about The Rumi Prescription was my fondness for a Rumi poem that I first heard in my hippie college days but heard again several times over many years at various mental health workshops. The poem has become a staple of inspiration for shaping my perspective or giving me a focus for meditation. This was going to be a book that might teach me more about the Persian Sufi mystic Rumi, and that made me open the book.

In many ways, I could have blown this memoir off as another fairly simplistic self-help book encouraging one to love themselves. As it turns out, Rumi’s poems are less poetic than I had remembered, and a few I didn’t even like. But the story of Melody Moezzi's commitment to developing her Farsi with sufficient competence to personally translate Rumi’s poem, and the poignant relationship with her both charming and annoying father that it requires, fully hooked me in. There is enough about Melody’s experience as an Iranian American, about her parents’ experiences as immigrants, and about Melody’s practice of social justice that kept me fascinated. The transparency of Moezzi and her father and their relationship warms one’s heart. The book at times reads like a mystery as we seek the outcome of her complex medical diagnoses, and travel with her through disaster and success. Rumi’s seemingly simple poems ground the narrative as Melody wisely unravels their meaning through her knowledge of language and through her personal experience. I found myself highlighting and saving many of her words, and Rumi's, that I want to remember for my own inspiration.

Melody Moezzi writes with clarity, honesty, a hard-earned sage awareness, and plenty of humor.
According to Melody (and her father), Rumi is about love, and my heart surely opened wider to my belief that love is ultimately the most powerful force in the world.

[Sayantani Dasgupta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this moving and unique memoir. Sparkling prose, terrific research, the beauty of Rumi’s verses on their own, and the author’s witty voice and take on things as varied as mosques to yoga, makes this a must read.

[Reneesarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am really glad to see a book that focuses on Rumi written by someone of Persian heritage, who speaks Persian, and had access to consultation on translation. This book may be of some help to people who have mental health distress and would benefit by a introduction to Rumi. The author is personable, engaging, and honest. It does not read like a book of deep spirituality or academic depth. It is perhaps an introduction to Rumi for some. It also reduces Rumi's poetry to short aphorisms (or prescriptions). Turning Rumi's poetry into short, pithy aphorisms robs it of some of its beauty, its lyrical presence, its spiritual profoundness. It is this turning his poetry into these short phrases that is the basis of my two star review, even though I can understand why the author decided to do this.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of 2020.

I *savored* every page. Layers of meaning in Rumi's poetry were revealed to me due to the contemporary social context. Melody weaves her personal experiences and her relationship with her father between life lessons from Rumi, demonstrating each moment she felt a connection to his words.
During a year that has been unforgiving, this book has invited solace into my life.

Where there is treasure, snakes come round.
Where there are roses, thorns abound.
In the grand bazaar of life, joy without sorrow cannot be found.

This year was thorny, but this book is a rose. A healing read I'd heartily recommend to anyone and everyone who has recently been challenged by isolation, anxiety, fear, disappointment, etc.

[Anna Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Warm, inspiring, healing. I loved it entirely.

I don't remember when I picked up this book but it must have been some time mid last year at the peak of a personal crisis. I was searching for an antidote for a broken heart and Rumi's quotes had been enlightening before. But distracted and distraught, I didn't get far reading it. I picked it up again upon meeting a new friend who spoke Rumi's poetry in Persian. Both he and a course tutor who loved Rumi reminded me of how healing Rumi's couplets could be. And I am so happy I started reading the book all over again. And, in a calmer state that allowed me pay more attention to the depth of meaning and reflect as I read.

I have always found that self-help books written as manuals were appealing then when written as personal narratives. Despite being on complete opposite sides of the planet, I found so many parallels in Melody's life as in mine - the tensions of being a minority modern Muslim, the highs and lows of being an overachiever afflicted with mental and physical ailments, the longing for a closeness to "The Beloved" and the eternal search for purpose and meaning and wanting to be or make something out of this existence. And while there are also many differences in our lives, I felt I was right there in the car with Melody and her parents, on the balcony as she prayed. It's her powerful storytelling and Rumi's powerful poetry together that made this read so engaging, so thought-provoking and so healing at the same time.

As a language learner, I feel it so much that beginning to understand a language is the door to a whole new world of meaning. I cheer Melody's pursuit of reading Rumi in Persian and hope to one day too find something that would bring me closer to my own parents. Thank you, Melody, or if I may say, Thank you, Melody-jan. For although I am but a stranger, I feel such a connection to your story.

[Brian Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rumi Prescription by Melody Moezzi
Tarcher Perigee, 2020
This book a follow-on in spirit to “Haldol and Hyacinths” is a description of the author’s journey into Classical Persian, some of the world’s best poetry, the parent-child relationship, and self-discovery all the while being candid, entertaining, enlightening and inviting us to start our own journey. The book opens with the author in the grip of writer’s block and searching for a cure returns to her parents’ home in San Diego to renew her acquaintance with the Sufi poets of her childhood, especially Rumi. Besides helping her with Classical Persian, her father encouraged her to look beyond the surface of the words to the meanings, often layers of meanings beneath them. The author being bipolar, and a mental health advocate, among many other things, has organized this book into a series of common diagnoses of everyday life and prescriptions from the writings of Rumi, such as; Dx: Wanting, Rx: Go to the Source; DX: Depression, Rx: Welcome Every Guest; Dx: Anxiety. Rx: Follow the Light of Your Wounds, and so on. Something this reader found very useful and apt. As a longtime reader and fan of Rumi, her translations in the book are faithful to my understanding of the poet; that Love is the most important and powerful force in the creation and the truest expression of The Infinite. This book has me digging my volumes of Rumi off the shelves for rereading. This book has made me fall in love with Melody’s writing all over again, appreciate her as a human being, even more, made me appreciate Rumi even more.

[Candace H-H · Rating 2 out of 5]

My rating is based on my own experiences and expectations. I had hoped that this book would be a good choice for my book to show others in my book club a Muslim perspective of working through mental health and spiritual issues. However, the author’s frequent criticisms and distortions of Islamic practices really didn’t resonate with my own spiritual aims as a Muslim convert. She admits in the book that she hates mosques, would rather visit Las Vegas than go on Hajj, doesn’t pray facing the qibla or with a headscarf and will push herself into a men’s section in a mosque. I respect this is her own journey and admire her bringing awareness to mental health issues, especially within Middle Eastern or Muslim communities, but this book wasn’t for me.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rumi Prescription initially caught my attention because of my interest in Rumi and mindfulness meditation. But I was happily surprised to connect with the book on many different levels.
Her descriptions and prescriptions pertaining to human suffering are inspiring and loving and tangible. She interweaves Rumi quotes in and out of real life challenges she faces, many of which we all face.
Her badass willingness to speak truth in a time of demagoguery and provincial thinking, should be an inspiration to us all.
For lovers of food and the culturally interested (and if you're not, you're really missing out), the Iranian food references had me pursuing delicious meals and recipes. The saffron and rose water ice cream is a particular favorite.
As a feminist, activist, seeker and sentient being; I'd like to thank Melody Moezzi for writing this book. I hold it close.

[Laurel Kerr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Rumi Prescription is, in addition to an inspiring memoir and a beautiful introduction to Rumi's work, a reference book. I now reference this book when I feel isolated, anxious, angry, depressed, distracted, or any of the other emotions Moezzi addresses so beautifully and helpfully in her book. Just finding the last page of each chapter and reading the translated poems for that emotion brings back the stories within the chapter, and reminds me of the antidote and why it works. This book is chock full of love, humor, joy, and honesty. I'm buying a second one to loan out, as I plan to refer to the one I've marked up over and over.

[Thea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this. Listened to the beautiful audio book which gives you the bonus of hearing correctly pronounced Farsi, which is handy for someone like me who doesn't speak it! Could really relate to Moezzi's stories about living with chronic health issues, both physical and mental, as whilst not all our diagnoses are the same, there's some overlap. Bought a copy for my sister for her birthday.

[Hewi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am always really happy to read more about Islam. It was very refreshing to see someone who leans on faith to improve their mental health who isn't Christian. The strongest thing about this book is it being a beautiful love letter to her father. I almost wish there were less poems but that each poem went into greater detail. I would definitely read a book written by Ahmed

[Kimberly Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be required reading for everyone on this planet right now. We are all experiencing elevated emotions - anxiety, fear, anger, helplessness - during our current pandemic and we need strong, wise leaders to help guide us safely to shore. Melody Moezzi's book The Rumi Prescription draws wisdom from the poetry of Rumi and provides profound, practical and universal advice for all humans as we navigate the uncertainties that come from being alive. I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book and marked up my copy with exclamation points, stars and notes, knowing it will serve as a night stand guide for years to come.

[jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

the perfect book to end and start the year with! so beautifully done—moezzi touched my heart and soul. THANK YOU AMANDA i needed this

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I met Rumi about 10 years ago, introduced by a Benedictine nun. and I love when he pops up in my life occasionally. A random quote on FB always draws me in to ponder again the wisdom and deep insight. This book was thus a delight to win from Goodreads Giveaways. It wasn't initially fun to read. Relating to the descriptive emotions of a bipolar experience in the first chapter put me in the depths, being bipolar myself. But it did prepare me to listen to her journey through the poetry and all the guidance it provided for a more balanced, purposeful, peaceful life...lived through hard political times, prejudice, and fear. I loved meeting the author's family, especially her father, of course. It was a beautifully written story of family love, respect, and loyalty. I don't think those of us who suffer alone could find the peace and healing she found with such a loving father, husband, and home. But we can still learn from the master and try.

[Fred Pierre · Rating 1 out of 5]

The concept had promise, but I wasn't ever drawn into the story. The author talks with her dad and has a personal epiphany through Rumi's poetry, but there's not enough Rumi, and the storytelling feels artificial. I needed the story to feel more personal., but I feel I can't relate. Might work for somebody though!. Can Rumi fix your life?

[Elisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The genius of this book is that it so beautifully weds the mystical and the pragmatic. It is applied poetry. And not just any poetry but possibly the most sublime and often esoteric poetry of all time. . . such fare is not so easily rendered pragmatic. Moezzi (and her father) have treated Moulana's words (Moulana is what he is called in Afghanistan and Iran, the seats of ancient Persia, and means ever so appropriately The Master) with the kind of care that is usually only applied to sacred scriptures. . . and indeed, Moulana's poetry is sacred and in many cases highly scriptural.

Moezzi breaks open her own soul here and lets her own wounds and healing journey illustrate the healing power of Rumi's poetic wisdom. Perhaps all true art in general and poetry in particular has the power to heal, but seldom on the order of magnitude of Rumi's work. Moezzi's story is the perfect vehicle for sharing Rumi's truth because her bipolarity brings her periodically into that terrifying state that might be rightly called madness and madness happens to be Rumi's specialty. (: Some might even say that mysticism and madness are just shades of the same state. In a place of acute mental illness, Rumi's truth brings wholeness back to her mind and soul. I mean, read the book and let her tell the story herself but here you'll find that the idea that poetry can heal is not just metaphorical (heh heh). As a linguist, I also swoon over all the Farsi/Persian translations in the book.

This is the perfect introduction to Rumi for the newbie. After reading this you can go on to The Essential Rumi, a translation by Colman Barks (this is my recommendation not nec. Moezzi's) and swoon over every page. Here is a passage from that volume that sheds light on Moezzi's: "Trust your wound to a teacher's surgery. Flies collect on a wound. They cover it, those flies of your self protecting feelings, your love for what you think is yours. Let a teacher wave away the flies and put a plaster on the wound. Don't turn your head. Keep looking at the bandaged place. That's where the light enters you. And don't believe for a moment that you're healing yourself." I think Moezzi is inviting us to look at her wounds and then to look at our own and to see what Rumi sees-the light getting in through that wound. Bravo Melody Moezzi.

[Levi Mclaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an education. An uplifting education in spiritual practice as healing practice and the power of a life story.

In The Rumi Prescription, Melody invites the reader into what might at first seem forbidding territory and makes you want to stay there. Done with great virtuosity, because this is tough stuff: accounts of suicide attempts and suicides by beloved friends, lifetime battles with bipolar and depression, and searing descriptions of American racism and Islamophobia. It's thrilling to witness Melody persevere through these challenges, all the while bringing to life her love for her family and the rich culture of Sufi poetry that undergirds her journey.

Most touching of all is the complex, and frequently hilarious, account of her love for her father. Melody does what few writers are able to pull off: she's simultaneously irreverent and reverent, and she's utterly convincing as she maintains this wild non-duality.

Highly recommended, not just for those seeking spiritual guidance, but for readers who want to know more about Islam, America, justice, injustice, and how to prevail. Such a wonderful book.