Simply put, this book is terrifying from start to finish.Even worse, it is based on true events. This is the story of Betty Mahmoody and her daughter, Mahtob. Betty is an American woman who married an Iranian man - a doctor - here in the United States. They have a child, Mahtob, together. Moody ( the husband) convinces Betty to bring Mahtob to visit his family in Iran for a vacation. Needless to say, their visit became extended and Betty discovers that, because she married an Iranian, she is now an Iranian citizen completely under the purview of their laws. They made a movie of this many years ago now, with Sally Field playing the part of Betty Mahmoody. This story is completely terrifying for me, both as an American and as a mother. I can not imagine being anywhere in the world where the rights that I take so for granted would be more oppressed than they are in Iran. I can't imagine visiting somewhere that hates my country and who I am just because I was born here. I certainly would never want my daughter's to marry a muslim man who may feel that he has the right to oppress them because of his religion or political affiliations. I certainly would never take my children to a muslim country, for this very reason.
The writing was good and the story moved at a quick pace. Betty comes across as having a bit of an ax to grind against her ex-husband and his family ( rightly so but bias nonetheless). The challenge was to find a book that terrifies you - for me - there could be nothing more terrifying than being an American woman without my child in a muslim, male-dominant, society.
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