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Rosewater: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival
Rosewater: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival | Maziar Bahari
10 posts | 11 read | 27 to read
NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY JON STEWART - Previously published as "Then They Came for Me" When Maziar Bahari left London in June 2009 to cover Iran's presidential election, he assured his pregnant fiancEe, Paola, that he'd be back in just a few days, a week at most. Little did he know, as he kissed her good-bye, that he would spend the next three months in Iran's most notorious prison, enduring brutal interrogation sessions at the hands of a man he knew only by his smell: Rosewater. For the Bahari family, wars, coups, and revolutions are not distant concepts but intimate realities they have suffered for generations: Maziar's father was imprisoned by the shah in the 1950s, and his sister by Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1980s. Alone in his cell at Evin Prison, fearing the worst, Maziar draws strength from his memories of the courage of his father and sister in the face of torture, and hears their voices speaking to him across the years. He dreams of being with Paola in London, and imagines all that she and his rambunctious, resilient eighty-four-year-old mother must be doing to campaign for his release. During the worst of his encounters with Rosewater, he silently repeats the names of his loved ones, calling on their strength and love to protect him and praying he will be released in time for the birth of his first child. A riveting, heart-wrenching memoir, "Rosewater" offers insight into the past seventy years of regime change in Iran, as well as the future of a country where the democratic impulses of the youth continually clash with a government that becomes more totalitarian with each passing day. An intimate and fascinating account of contemporary Iran, it is also the moving and wonderfully written story of one family's extraordinary courage in the face of repression. "I really connected to Maziar's story. It's a personal story but one with universal appeal about what it means to be free."--Jon Stewart "An important and elegant book . . . a prison memoir enlarged into a family history."--"The New Republic" "Clear and compelling . . . engaging and informative--a gripping tribute to human dedication and a cogent indictment of a corrupt regime."--"Washington Independent Review of Books" "["Rosewater"] is not only a fascinating, human exploration into Bahari's personal experience . . . it also provides insight into the shared experience of those affected by repressive governments everywhere."--"Mother Jones""A damning account . . . ["Rosewater"] turns a lens not only on Iran's surreal justice system but on the history and culture that helped produce it."--"The Washington Post" "["Rosewater"] is a unique achievement. It is a story not just of political cruelty (a subject Bahari treats movingly), but also about the two poles of Iranian political culture, bent together in upheaval."--"The Guardian "(UK) "A beautifully written account of life in Iran, filled with insights not only into the power struggles and political machinations but into the personal, emotional lives of the people living in that complicated country. Maziar Bahari is a brave man and a wonderful storyteller."--Fareed Zakaria
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bookishbitch
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And speaking of elections, yay 45 is gone!!!! #tbrpile

Chrissyreadit 🙌🎉❤️🤍💙🎊🎉👏 4y
12 likes1 comment
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Kristy_K
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Pickpick

A book everyone should read. Bahari, a journalist, goes to Iran to cover the 2009 elections. He gets arrested & accused of being a spy then endures months of harsh interrogations in an Iranian prison.

He tells of his time in prison & talks about his family &upbringing in Iran during the regime change. It is truly saddening, infuriating, & eye-opening to hear about what he, and many other Iranian citizens endure.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#iran #biography

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RunningMommyCrazy
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I should be doing laundry and cleaning, but drinking coffee and reading are more fun!

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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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A book recommendation (on sale today)! If anyone watched The Daily Show, you may remember this story as it unfolded, Jason Jones went to Iran & did his usual silly interviews, the Iranian journalist he interviewed was later arrested for being a spy & talking to an American Spy (Jason Jones) & imprisoned. Jon Stewart covered the story, and later when Bahari was released & wrote a book, Stewart took a hiatus to make the movie. Great read!

Godmotherx5 Another good book. 7y
60 likes1 comment
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DimeryRene
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Saw the movie last year sometime. Been meaning to read this ever since. It's incredible.

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bookishbitch
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I swear I didn't plan on going to the book sale. Then my sister called and offered to go with me. Guess who said yes. #noregrets

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TheWordJar
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Pickpick

Finished this book last week and still thinking about it. A harrowing memoir and a testament to the absolute need of a free press in any society. Bahari was imprisoned for reporting on the 2009 Iranian presidential election for the West, though the charges against him kept changing. The above quote really related how terrifying it was to be held by captors who don't play by any rules but their own--"playing chess with a gorilla." Definite pick.

TheWordJar Now I plan to watch Rosewater, the movie directed by Jon Stewart inspired by this book. Rosewater was the name Bahari used for his interragator, since he was always blindfolded and could only smell him. 7y
Readerann Rosewater is a good movie. 7y
EvieBee I loved this book so much! 7y
TheWordJar @Readerann I'm looking forward to it. I've heard it isn't as good as the book, but what movie is?? :) 7y
TheWordJar @EvieBee84 I loved it too! It was hard to read at times, but it seems so absolutely necessary. 7y
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TheWordJar
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I believe that as long as all the wise Littens (such as @Liberty ) are around to give great book recommendations to keep us on the path to becoming "thinking citizens" (I think that was the awesome term I came across here earlier today) then #allisnotlost! #currentlyreading

EvieBee I loved Then They Came for Me. So good! (edited) 8y
TheWordJar @EvieBee84 It's so good, but I'm taking it a little at a time. Have you seen the movie? 8y
EvieBee @TheWordJar I couldn't bring myself to watch it. Is it good? I love the actor. Gael Garcia. 8y
EvieBee I read this one a few months after reading this one and enjoyed it too. These memoirs just take a toll on me. Depressing but uplifting. 😊 8y
TheWordJar @EvieBee84 I haven't watched the movie either. Waiting to see how much the book takes out of me first! Thanks for the other recommendation...added that to the stack as well! 8y
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa
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#TBT Two years ago I was reading this disturbing and moving book about how quickly things can turn in a dysfunctional government, how quickly comedy can become treason, and the endurance it takes to continue in the face of such odds. I remember when the author was interviewed by the Daily Show, and later arrested for his interview, plus his reappearance on the Show after his eventual release. Jon Stewart later made a film about the incident...

Riveted_Reader_Melissa ...I know the situation effected him greatly, that comedic fun we take for granted could lead to such harsh retaliation by some governments in the world. Truly a very important story in our recent history and a moving book (and movie). Freedom of the press and of satire must be protected at all costs. 8y
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Lea
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Totally late to the party but finally getting to it. Started listening on 2x speed and actually think that's a good speed for this one.

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