Welcome to Litsy!

I devoured Not Without My Daughter at camp when I was a kid, so it‘s interesting to read the story from Mahtob‘s side. She‘s never read her mom‘s book, so her memories of Iran remain those of a confused and scared child. This book follows her from the kidnapping through years of fear of her father abducting her again to finally being free once he died. Her father never wavered in his belief Betty was wrong, and Mahtob always supported her mom. ⬇️

This leaves a trace on me.
I knew nothing about what happened after they returned and it‘s fascinating how her mother managed to not spread bad talk about her husband.

I find it a bit ironic that it‘s Christianity that helps her cope with all.

I loved what she wrote about her last lecture in college.

I‘m terrified about the rationalisation her father brings forward.

And now excuse me, I need to read more about all that on the Internet.

Yes, might have been wise to use assumed names.

But Amanda Smith❓ Please. That sounds so obvious.

In general, I wonder if it‘s enough to tell a little child the evening before that it now has to use a “new name”. After all, she‘s a little girl – and changing a name is a big thing.

She is the daughter many of us know from her mother‘s book “Not without my daughter”.

It‘s many years ago that I read the “first” book but I think I recall enough to put the pieces together that Mahtob‘s and Betty‘s books might create.

And please, can this demanding reader‘s heart find a book that it likes, again, instead of always being too critical❓🤔

Terrible story but neat to see it through her eyes!

The wolf you feed is the wolf that thrives.

Saturday lunch and a new book. It really doesn't get any better. (Also, escapes from religions or cultish situations are my genre kryptonite.)