Not Without My Daughter
by Betty Mahmoody, William Hoffer
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Book Summary Information
Author: Betty Mahmoody, William HofferEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1991-02-15
ISBN: 0312925883
Number of pages: 420
Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780312925888
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of Not Without My Daughter
Book Review: Trapped
Summary: 5 Stars
Trapped
Imagine your husband asking you to go on a vacation to his home county. You bring your child. However, when you get there, your husband forces you to stay in this foreign world that scares you so much. He becomes an entirely different person. He screams at you, beats you, takes your child away from you, and locks you in a room to cry. Unimaginable, isn't it. But this is the story told by Betty Mahmoody in her book Not Without My Daughter. Betty tells the story of how she was taken to Iran in 1984 and forced to live there by her husband. She writes of her desperate attempts to escape to America, but not without her daughter. Her story demonstrates the common theme that appearances can be deceiving.
The plot to this novel is deep and involving. Betty describes her predicament with such emotion that it puts the reader inside the story. Considering that she is not a writer, this is very impressive. The novel begins on a plane from Germany to Iran, and Betty is in deep thought about what awaits her beyond the airport. She has met members of her husband Moody's family and was not too fond of them. She believes she can trust that Moody will love her enough to let her return home after vacation. However, what Betty soon discovers is in this society, men have complete control over the women and the children are the property of the husband. She depicts her feelings during this conflict so well. For example, She writes, "I lay in bed long after Moody left, weeping aloud, `Mahtob, Mahtob, Mahtob!' My body felt like one big bruise." In Not without My Daughter, Betty writes an epic tale of her attempts to keep her daughter, Mahtob, and herself alive in this alien country while trying to create an escape plan and preventing her husband from using violence on her again.
The setting in this novel is so descriptive that the reader feels like they are there, walking through the bazaars of Tehran or waiting in line in an Iranian bakery. She describes the bustling streets of Tehran so expressively that it feels like taxis are rushing by and the aroma of Iranian restaurants fills the air. Betty describes the city from the point of an outsider. She not only describes what the city is like, but what it is like to be in Tehran. She describes the citizens of the city very well too. In Tehran, "Everywhere we went we encountered hordes of people scurrying about their business, grim-faced. Not a smile was to be seen." When you read this book, it is as if she is guiding you through the streets, or you are sitting in a taxi crammed with eight other strangers.
Betty Mahmoody describes the physical traits of the main characters so well, you feel as if you see them, and describes their personality traits in such depth, you feel as if you know them. In Iran, society is dominated entirely by men. If Iranian society was a pizza, men would be the crust, sauce and cheese, and women would be the little bits of parsley that you pick off and put on the side of your plate. Moody, Betty's husband, is a man of many faces. One minute, he may be the most caring man you have ever met. The next moment, his face is contorted with rage as he slaps you and curses at you. Betty's relationship with Moody is a major theme. When they got married in America, Moody was a perfectly Americanized doctor. When they get to Tehran however, Moody returns to being a stereotypical, anti-American radical. Betty's four-year old daughter, Mahtob, is the perfect portrayal of innocence. She is very caring for her mother and stays brave throughout the entire tale of their hardships in Iran. The characterization in this novel is so exquisite, that you finish loving Betty and Mahtob, and despising Moody with every fiber of your body.
Betty's writing style is so unique that it is enticing. Because Betty is not a professional writer, she does not need to obey the standard regulations of writing. She is so descriptive and writes almost as if she were telling you the story in person. Personally, I believe that her story is truly inspiring. I couldn't put this book down. Betty's story is so touching, that when you finish the novel, you feel as if the novel has touched your soul. Her story opens your mind to the radical religious politics of a foreign country and cultural differences that break up a relationship.
Summary of Not Without My Daughter
In August 1984, Michigan housewife Betty Mahmoody accompanied her husband to his native Iran for a two-week vacation. To her horror, she found herself and her four-year-old daughter, Mahtob, virtual prisoners of a man rededicated to his Shiite Moslem faith, in a land where women are near-slaves and Americans are despised. Their only hope for escape lay in a dangerous underground that would not take her child...
Now the true story of this courageous woman and her breathtaking odyssey bursts upon the screen in the Pathe Entertainment production starring Academy Award-winner Sally Field!
A Literary Guild Alternate Selection.
Now the true story of this courageous woman and her breathtaking odyssey bursts upon the screen in the Pathe Entertainment production starring Academy Award-winner Sally Field!
A Literary Guild Alternate Selection.
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