Rated FIVE Stars *****

I am an American woman who has lived in Morocco for the past twelve years. I have also lived in Egypt, and spent time in several Moslem countries, although I have never been to Iran. Unlike SOME reviewers of this book, I do not doubt the authenticity of this story at all. The author has had to protect her identity due to assassins sent by her former in-laws. Names of places and persons have CERTAINLY had to have been changed to protect certain persons.

The book started out to be interesting, but got more and more fascinating as it went along. I couldn't put it down, and finished it in two days. Her story became more and more suspenseful, clear until the very last page. I have read a lot in this genre, and this is one of the most gripping books of this type that I have come across.

In addition to the story of Sousan's life and escape, I learned some important things I had not been aware of before. For example, while reading another book about another woman's escape from Afghanistan, I learned that Afghani society was somewhat like the Taliban, in terms of the ideas and morals imposed on women--even BEFORE the Soviet occupation. In this book, I was able to see that IRANIAN society was NOT so much like that (like the Taliban) before the Revolution. I also learned that the Shah and his father made a big mistake--they had tried to modernize the country far too quickly. My personal conclusion after reading this book was that the Iranian Revolution was, in a way, a backlash against this too-quick leap forward into modernity, and also an explosion of the jealousy of the lower classes being given free reign. Society was literally turned upside down.

The book's brief epilogue does not disappoint with letting the reader briefly know what has since happened with the author and other persons appearing throughout the book. One caution--to anyone looking for a "recent" story, this book was written in 1987. But it is still just as relevant today. With the modernizing of Islamic societies which is being attempted today in the Middle East, this book could serve as a caution about what could happen if only short-term commitments are made there by foreign powers.