After Tehran: A Life Reclaimed

by Marina Nemat

In the international bestseller Prisoner of Tehran , Marina Nemat chronicled her arrest, torture, and two-year imprisonment in Iran’s notorious Evin prison at the age of sixteen. Yet her journey was far from over. After Tehran is a moving account of Nemat’s struggle to overcome her past and break the silence about her detainment. Following her escape from Iran, she builds a new life in Canada with her husband and infant son. But Nemat is haunted by survivor’s guilt. She feels increasingly compelled to speak out about what happened to her in prison, even if it means revealing the painful secrets she’d much rather forget. As her riveting story eventually becomes a bestselling book, Nemat’s life is forever changed. She gains the strength to confront her past, re-engage with her distant father, and emerge from the emotional ravages. Her story is one of courage and recovery, an amazing tale of resilience written by a truly inspiring woman.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Middle East, Iran, Biography, Canada, Islam

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

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

[Holly Mott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the author should have stopped at the first book. Her story was powerful enough when I read it the first time while at least 3/4 of this book seemed to repeat in different words what I already read in Prisoner of Tehran. I still think the story is amazing.. and took courage to write but I have to wonder about the reasoning behind this second book.

[Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t do this review justice so I’ve left the synopsis from the inside cover of the dust jacket. However, one note: for those of you who read Marina’s “Prisoner of Tehran”, this book will be especially riveting for you as it was me. Such a brave and courageous woman and one who I have a great deal of respect for.

“Marina Nemat’s bestselling Prisoner of Tehran chronicled her arrest, torture, and two-year imprisonment in Iran’s notorious Evin prison at the age of sixteen. But when she finally did emerge she faced new challenges: a repressive Islamist regime and a family that didn’t want to know too much about her ordeal.

In After Tehran Nemat provides a riveting account of her escape from Iran and her journey to Canada, via Hungary, with her new husband and infant son. The couple find jobs, raise their two children, and seemingly adapt. But inwardly Nemat struggles with flashbacks that threaten the carefully constructed security of her new life. Haunted by survivor’s guilt, she feels increasingly compelled to speak out about what happened to her in prison, even if it means revealing to her husband and parents the secret of her forced marriage to a Revolutionary Guard. As her account eventually becomes a bestselling book, Nemat’s life is forever changed-and she gains the strength to confront her past, re-engage with her distant father, and gradually emerge from the emotional ravages of post-traumatic stress.

From her early days in Canada working as a waitress at a chain restaurant, Marina Nemat went on to receive a human rights award from the European Parliament, even while being attacked by fanatical former Iranian dissidents. Her story is one of courage and recovery, an amazing tale of resilience written by a truly inspiring woman.”

[CanadianReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book did address some of the questions I had after reading Nemat's memoir Prisoner of Tehran. It was interesting, for example, to have the "controversy" over the authenticity of Nemat's experiences in the Evin prison cleared up by the author herself and the author's relationship with her parents somewhat better explained. Having said that, I don't think there was sufficient substantive information for another book. The writing seemed somewhat better than in the first text, but I still feel a strong sense of "remove" from the material overall.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Prisoner of Tehran but I just did not love this book. I found it to be repetitive and somewhat annoying. It focused a lot on repeating things that happened in her first book and did not offer anything interesting or new. Such a shame because Prisoner of Tehran was fantastic.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Must read her previous book too, Prisoner of Tehran. What a remarkable woman!

[Neil Mudde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ms Nemat is courageous, and determined, and I guess all authors need to have determination in order to spend countless hours writing,a re-writing then having the finished work put out in the hopes of finding a publisher etc.
I am always on the lookout for boos from other cultures with which I am not familiar by reading a autobiography I find if written well I get a sense of the culture and why they do things they do in this or that specific manner.
Ms Nemat in her book "After Tehran a life reclaimed" tells us about writing her best selling book a memoir "Prisoner of Tehran" a sort of update of how the book came about, and what has been happening in her life since then.
I love here sincerity when it comes to being grateful for living in the great country of our CANADA were a person can be who they are without having to look over your shoulder constantly fearing that you may be incarserated for your thoughts or ideas.
This book repeats some of the things said earlier in her first book, and allthough I enjoyed reading it, could not help but get a sense of, how should I say this, somewhat similiar in my personal opinion to create a second film documentary when the first one said everything very well, and by creating a second one makes one wonder about the author's reason for writing this, a wonderful novel dealing with life in Tehran it customs etc would be much more interesting.
Ms Nemat is very open and frank in this book, at the risk of being told by her country people who live in Canada that they consider her a traitor, etc.
I found the book interesting, especially when she talks about her parents, I always assumed that in those cultures parents were respected above all, but she had an interesting relationship with her parents, who moved from Tehran to Canada, and it seemed they never resolved their issues at all, and were not very close as a family interesting

[Meg Morden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book even better than Nemat's first book "Prisoner of Tehran". It does cover some of the same ground but does so in greater depth and understanding. Dealing with the aftermath of her imprisonment and torture, the reactions of her friends and family, and above all the survivor guilt eventually led to her suffering PTSD. It surfaced 20 years after her release and lead her to the writing of her first memoir as a means to survive. Fascinating is the controversy about her first book which critics say describes her actions as a collaborator, a controversy which she addresses openly in this book. How can anyone criticize a teenager doing what needs to be done to protect herself and her family? She was in the power of a merciless regime. This is ultimately a story about survival and learning to live again after terrible trauma and dealing with the uncurable scars which that trauma created. Nemat will never be free of the effects of her stay in Evin prison but she has learned to live with them with amazing grace.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't stress enough how powerful the first book, Prisoner of Tehran, was and how much I enjoyed it. When I saw there was a sequel, I couldn't get to the bookstore fast enough.

That being said, I did not find After Tehran to have the same impact- it seemed to reiterate the first book, and had few new points of interest. The author's voice was so strong in the first book; I could hardly put it down. For the second book, I struggled to keep enough interest, and barely made it through the last few chapters.

Prisoner of Tehran showed that Marina Nemat is an incredible woman and an inspirational story of success, yet this sequel feels unnecessary. However, the author's style is engaging and both books are so well written; for this reason alone I couldn't rate it less than 3 stars.

[Mary Caputi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed Marina's first book. Someone who has never been through what she has will never know what one went through...emotionally and physically. I believe Marina is a strong, courageous and a divine woman.
I found the second book very repetitive of the first. And I didn't like when she tried to compare her story with Giulliana's. The difference between the two is that Giulliana's place of birth didn't abduct her and traumatize her and that is why they demonstrated for her release and came to her rescue. Whereas Marina's country was to blame for the pain and suffering that was inflicted on many of their own. I hope that Marina can finally live her life, they have taken away enough!

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this author's first book Prisoner of Tehran.I found this book more rambling and at times a repetition of her first book.Marina did explain in this book that she had kept her secrets for so many years that when she did unleash her memory she began having flashbacks. I felt this book was her journey to dealing with what had happened in Tehran as well as the effects of keeping a secret for so many years.

[Marilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

You have to have profound respect & awe for people who survive torture and atrocities; even more so, when these are handed down by one's own people (one's own government) at the tender age of 16 years. This is the story and life's aftermath that Marina Nemat writes about in After Tehran. As a Canadian who has never lived in another country, it is so difficult to fully appreciate such evil and the fact that it does exist.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe that this book was a real tool for Marina Nemat to continue her healing from the torture that she endured in Evin prison. It also gives readers a glimpse into her life as to how she wrote the book and what happened after writing Prisoner of Tehran.

I think that this is a great follow up book to Prisoner of Tehran.

[Margarita · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book repeats many of the same elements of her first book, "Prisoner of Tehran". The writing style is muddled and rambling at times, often coming across as frustrated and defensive. It feels like a good part of this sequel is spent defending her first book instead of touching upon any new ground.

[Xiao · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is one of the most inspirational books I have ever read. It is beautiful all the way throughout and has virtue, beauty, testimony, dignity and truth scattered throughout the entire book. I also found the characters in her story to be touching and beautiful. I finished it in one day because I couldn't put it down.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not like this book as much as Prisoner of Tehran. It was however really interesting to see the progress she had made in writing her first book, struggles she had encountered (above and beyond those documented originally) and her own personal development.

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this case I read the sequel before the main event. Nemat describes her genesis as a writer and activist after years of repressing her experience in a Tehran prison. Personal and powerful. Now I must read the original Prisoner of Tehran.

[Melissa Mikel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does it mean to be a survivor? Marina investigates this through the writing of her second book. Sharing such personal experiences and thoughts indicates her incredible integrity and strength of character.

[Pat]

A sad sad outline about a terrible situation. Pray for the people of Iran and similar countries. A brave and gifted author

[Marisa Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every time I picked it this book up it was hard to put down! It answered a lot of the questions I had after reading her first. I hope she writes more books in the future

[Petesake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was well done. One rarely gets to read a follow-up to a former prisoner's incarceration.

[Kingston WritersFest · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marina Nemat joined us at Kingston WritersFest 2012. You can read more about Marina and the Festival here: www.kingstonwritersfest.ca

[Kim Hill-Tout · Rating 4 out of 5]

We were thinking that this second memoir (follow up) was a little bit different than expected. There was more of a recounting of events, but also how that impacted her daily life in Canada. Which is definitely important to examine when thinking about the hardships of integrating into society as it is. However, it definitely felt like almost an ode to discovering the path of writing and telling ones’ story, dealing with critique and in a sense making a public response to it. Which on the positive side we can see that there is still a need to call out story twisting by people in society as well as some of the injustices that still happen within our borders. But overall, we would say that this is definitely a piece about the coming together of the last memoir and although is an interesting read considering we have the background about her, didn’t offer a considerable amount of new knowledge on the state of affairs in different parts of the world.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Prisoner of Tehran and was riveted by Marina's story. She is a strong and courageous woman and the abuse she and many others of her generation experienced in Iran is unfathomable to me. Her story makes me appreciate that I am a woman who was born in America, which even though my country's history is far from perfect in its history and treatment of others, being a woman born in Iran-- and about 2/3 of the world would have been a worse experience for myself and my daughter.

I enjoyed After Tehran very much, but it didn't affect me as much-- probably because it repeats so much of the story that I had already been shocked and moved to tears by. I found it incredibly interesting to hear the 'story behind the story' of what lead Marina to write the first book-- as well as how her life changed afterwards.

I hope she writes more.

[Gina Ulicny · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. Difficult to rate and review a book like this. Her story is compelling and I’m glad to know it. I didn’t read her first one, but glad I read this. Prayers to her and so many. In America we are so FREE that many are revolting against what has given us so much. We literally MAKE UP problems and are offended by someone breathing. All this in the wake of Russia invading Ukraine.

[Sam Morley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy it as much as Prisoner of Tehran, but it was interesting to see the author address her trauma and finally coming to grips with it. She responds to some of the criticisms of her book, as well. Very brave book. I found it turned in circles and repeated a lot though.

[Heidi Epp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delighted to see a second book by Marina I was thirsty to read but wondered what kind of story could follow her first book. I was just as enthralled as the first time and utterly moved and inspired

[Kim Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read

[Mehrnaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully written, a must read for women immigrants to Canada.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recapped alot of the first story Prisoner of Tehran while sharing more about emotional trauma, relationships with her parents who immigrate to Toronto, her older brother.

[Jaime · Rating 2 out of 5]

5 stars for her first memoir though. :)