I’ve been wanting to blog about this book from the moment I picked it up from the bookstore but first, I got too engrossed reading it and once I was done reading, I got back into my daily chores and this book review never saw the light of the day. So here I am, finally sitting at my laptop and completing this much overdue book review.
“Not without my daughter” is a true story of an American woman Betty Mahmoody, her Iranian husband Dr. Sayyed Bozorg Mahmoody and their 4 year old daughter Mahtob and how their lives changed forever when they came to Iran from USA in the 1980s It’s a heart melting story of how an innocent American woman was forced into accepting the beliefs and culture of an alien Islamic nation where women are treated as just child producing machines and Betty’s amazing struggle to survive amidst these conditions and to get freedom for herself and her 4 year old daughter.
I had read a book earlier on similar lines: Princess by Jean Sasson, which was the true story of a Saudi Arabian princess and her secret life behind the veil. But “Princess” was narrated by the Saudi Arabian princess secretly to the British author Sasson who did not dare mention the real name of the princess fearing the orthodox patriarchal family that she belonged to in the Muslim kingdom. The book was written under a pseudo name. What sets “Not Without my daughter” different from this is the fact that, it is not in a third person narration unlike the former. Betty Mahmoody is a fearless American woman who takes the risk of narrating her own heart rending story after all the trauma she has had to go through and probably that’s why she makes a special place in your heart as you flip through the pages.
The perseverance and determination of Betty is commendable. I do not know how many would have the courage to go as far as she did, fighting against all the odds. Betty’s story is bound to send shivers down your spine. You love a man unconditionally and trust him blindly and he ruthlessly traps you in his alien country, thousands of kilometers away from your home, against all your wishes. A mother is left yearning to see her sons whom she left behind in her home country coz she was going for just a 2 weeks holiday to Iran and a desperate daughter wants to meet her ailing father one last time before he says a good bye forever. It can happen to anyone and that is probably the reason why you can connect so well with Betty’s misery and her plight.
I do not want to give out any more spoilers. The narration pace has been beautifully maintained throughout the book as it has been co-authored by William Hoffer who is a successful writer himself. Reading the book is almost like watching a movie, with no dull moments. This is a must read to get a different perspective on the life of women in Islamic nations through the eyes of a foreigner woman.
