Journal Entry 1 by beaulivre from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, July 08, 2007

Journal Entry 2 by beaulivre from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Monday, July 09, 2007

I've read about half of this book and it's really interesting though I can't say it's always enjoyable on account of its harrowing subject matter (all the more so because I know the author). The insights into Persian culture and literature are fascinating and Zarah's recollections of her childhood and life leading up to her arrest remind us that she was just a 'normal' university student speaking out about injustice. 

Journal Entry 3 by beaulivre at Australia Post in by mail, a fellow bookcrosser -- Controlled Releases on Monday, July 09, 2007

Released 4 yrs ago (7/9/2007 UTC) at Australia Post in by mail, a fellow bookcrosser -- Controlled Releases

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Posted as a BookRing to jeniwren.

Enjoy! 

Journal Entry 4 by jeniwren from Greigs Flat, New South Wales Australia on Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Thankyou. Received this book in the post as part of a bookring kindly started by beaulivre. Looking forward to reading and I will be back to journal my thoughts on this memoir very soon. 

Journal Entry 5 by jeniwren from Greigs Flat, New South Wales Australia on Wednesday, July 25, 2007

A very powerful and moving account of the harsh realities of life for a young woman in Iran. Gharahmani was snatched off the street whilst participating in a student protest and locked up in Elvin prison. Each chapter alternates between her period of incarceration and that of her happy childhood with loving parents and gives an insight into a country where women suffer greatly under repressive regimes. Well written and although harrowing at times , a must read.

I will be releasing this book via Australia Post tomorrow to Fulcrum as the next bookring recipient. 

Journal Entry 6 by Fulcrum from Brisbane, Queensland Australia on Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Received this book in today's post from Jeniwren - thanks! Will be reading it as soon as I've finished Harry Potter (a big contrast I'm sure!). 

Journal Entry 7 by Fulcrum from Brisbane, Queensland Australia on Thursday, August 23, 2007

I read this without reading any background information (I have since read the articles that beaulivre included with the book) so I could judge the book just on itself. Although it has taken me a little time to read it, it was so gripping in one part that I lost track of time one night and realised it was 1:30am and I had better get off to bed! The simple and clear writing style was great - I thought the continuous reference to her cell's 'stinky blanket' was evocative, almost like it was a prison rat she'd befriended in desperation. It was educational too - what I knew about Iran before could've fit on a postage stamp. I had no idea there are moderates in Iran, or that there are different religious traditions other than Islamic fundamentalism.

Every so often in this book a wonderful turn of phrase or idea popped up that delighted me. At one point, she realises her mother sees her political activism as a form of vanity - "a boast to the world of my moral beauty". Thinking about it, it is a surprising interpretation but also deeply true (of all political protestors, since they are basically saying that they know right better than anyone else - although saying that, I'm glad they exist and "keep the bastards honest").

I thought the descriptions of ordinary families trying to get on with what families do while revolutions happen every few decades in the background was a very good angle as Zarah is one little fly caught up in a very big and nasty spider's web. However, a couple of the chapters looking back at her childhood interrupted the flow and could've been parred down. And I found her characterisations of her parents, her potential future husband (Benham), and the student protest leader (Arash) a bit one dimensional and surprisingly distanced. Her parents seem to have no faults at all, which I just didn't buy (could be a cultural thing). Meanwhile, her descriptions of the prison guards (especially the disfigured female one) are beautifully nuanced and these characters seem more 'real' than her friends or family.

At first I found her concerns about her vanity annoying (she seems more concerned about her hair getting cut off than possible rape), but then I decided I liked it since it showed how conservative, pampered and naive she was before her arrest (she even mocks her earlier foibles). Her concern that she protect her teeth from getting knocked out during the beatings (so she didn't end up ugly) was more affecting and chilling to me than any of the other indignities she suffered.

I was left a little disappointment with two things - firstly that her final message seems to be that student protests within Iran are pointless and everyone should individually just keep their heads down and put up with the oppression (especially in light of the fact she has since fled Iran); and secondly, that she didn't include an epilogue explaining how she ended up in Australia (since she mentions she is in Australia in passing in an early chapter).

However, overall, I'm glad I read it and think it should be put on every school syllabus in the Western world.


I'm posting this off to helocin this afternoon. 

Journal Entry 8 by helocin from Melbourne, Victoria Australia on Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Thanks very much for this, received by parcel post yesterday. My son was very happy to find a package on his daily visit to the letter box, and he especially liked the bubble-wrap!

The book arrived with copies of two articles about the author and her experiences from The Sydney Morning Herald 23-24 June 2007 and The Australian 10 July 2007. I look forward to reading it. 

Journal Entry 9 by helocin from Melbourne, Victoria Australia on Saturday, September 29, 2007

Thanks Fulcrum, for passing on a great book, and for your warning not to read the journal entries before reading it. Now, with the book finished, I have enjoyed reading your journal entry and thoughts on My life as a traitor.

This is a great book, describing a horrific true story.

The horror is tempered by the way chapters describing torture are interspersed with insightful descriptions of life in Iran, and the insight we get into Zarah's thoughts is fabulous. Thank you to the kind bookcrosser who recommended that I join this bookring.

Like fulcrum, I would have liked to have known more about how Zarah came to Australia, and also what she thinks of life here. Once I'd finished the book I read the two reviews/interviews that were kindly mailed with the book, and they posed further questions, as my reading of the book noted her fear of rape by the fat stinking guard, but didn't give me a sense that her fears had been realised. The book review from The Australian (30 June 2007) however, implies in the second paragraph that that particular fear was realised. 

Journal Entry 10 by L1nda from Newcastle, New South Wales Australia on Monday, October 08, 2007

Arrived safe and sound. 

Journal Entry 11 by L1nda from Newcastle, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, October 11, 2007

It was an interesting read, though at times I had trouble staying focused, I think this is because I read it straight after reading I have Lived a Thousand Years which was a memoir of a survivor of the Holocuast (maybe time for chic lit).

Zarah does a wonderful job of describing life as a young Iranian woman and I'm glad her harrowing story is being heard.

I will send this on to freepages as soon as I have her address.

UPDATE: 18th October 2007

After several attempts to contact FreePages and also beaulivre I have decided to send on to Blundery as I have her address. Will be posting 19/10/2007  

Journal Entry 12 by Blundery on Friday, October 26, 2007

This book arrved today sae and ound and I am busting to start reading it. I will journal my thoughts on completion. Thanks for forwarding it to me so quickly L1nda. 

Journal Entry 13 by Blundery on Monday, November 12, 2007

this book was hard for me to read. For some reason I didn't start to connect with the author until over half way through the book. It was as if there was no real emotional link provided.

I must say, when she discussed her experiences of learning history in both high school and university....... WOW! Our government is always complaining that our students don't learn enough history (or the right version of history). We are so much luckier than Zarah and others in her situation.

I have bundled the book up and will put it into the post on Thursday (payday) to the next person on the list. thanks for putting this book up for a bookring beaulivre, I am glad that I read it. 

Journal Entry 14 by bookworm76 from Kedron, Queensland Australia on Tuesday, November 20, 2007

recieved it in the mail today. Thanks - I will read it as soon as I can and forward it on. 

Journal Entry 15 by bookworm76 from Kedron, Queensland Australia on Sunday, January 13, 2008

This took me a while to read but I am glad that I managed to finish it. I thought that the book was quite good and I would recommend it to others. I would have liked to have seen more about what her life was like after being in prison and how she managed to get to Australia. Maybe that is in a later book.

As a young woman, I think I take the amount of freedom that I have for granted. Next time I am tempted to winge about something I will certainly remember that I am fortunate to be living in a country where I can go to university, to have male friends and the right to protest without the threat of going to prison, being tortured or possibly raped.

Book is on its way to the next person on the list. 

Journal Entry 16 by Arrietty from Adelaide, South Australia Australia on Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Oh great I'm at the end of the bookring so will get to read all the reviews! Thanks so much Beaulivre for sharing, I'm sure it will be a great read. I'll contact you when I've finished to see if anyone else wants to read it or send it back to you.
cheers 

Journal Entry 17 by Arrietty from Adelaide, South Australia Australia on Saturday, February 23, 2008

I've just finished this book. It is very powerful. While I was reading the book, I happened to be watching a film about Sofie Scholl, a German University student during Hitler's reign who is caught handing out subversive literature and interrogated and executed. This book reminds us that the dark side of humanity has not been stopped; that no matter what the rationale is, authorities who try to suppress freedom of speech and deny people justice are the same everywhere...nothing more than hypocrites and criminals themselves.

the oral history Zarah provides during the breaks in her interrogations give the reader a respite from the cruelty and give us an overview of life in Iran, from a personal perspective as well as the 'Official' version.

Thanks for sharing beaulivre. I will contact moomoo1977 now. 

Journal Entry 18 by MooMoo1977 from Lismore, New South Wales Australia on Wednesday, March 05, 2008

After reading everyone's thoughts - I'm really looking forward to reading this book.

Received safe and sound from Arrietty today - thank you for sending and many thanks to beaulivre for sharing this book with all of us. :) 

Journal Entry 19 by MooMoo1977 from Lismore, New South Wales Australia on Thursday, March 20, 2008

I was really looking forward to reading this, but unfortunately - I couldn't connect with Zarah at all. I didn't feel any sense of emotion for her or her plight, whereas other books like Betty Mahmoody's "Not Without My Daughter" really affected me.

Perhaps it was the way it was written? Maybe I wasn't in the right frame of mind when I read it? I don't know, but I trucked on with it and felt disappointed when I finished. Almost as if I was thinking 'OK - so...when does the story begin?'

Thank you to beaulivre for sharing, I will now PM bekoh for their addy. I am sorry I didn't get as much out of this as the majority of the other readers, but I did find the other BCers' insights interesting.

Thanks again. xx 

Journal Entry 20 by MooMoo1977 from Lismore, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, March 30, 2008

Sent to Freepages today - have asked Freepages to send to bekoh as bekoh contacted me today. :) 

Journal Entry 21 by FreePages from Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Caught! Safe and sound. :-) Thanks beaulivre and MooMoo1977, I'll get to it as soon as I can....seem to have a few rings here at the moment.

Gracies for the bella Venezia postcard, Magnifico :-)
I love the envelope stickers to Moo Moo. 

Journal Entry 22 by FreePages from Canberra, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Monday, November 24, 2008

Well, I'm embarassed that it took so long for me to get to this book, there always seemed to be another bookring, that someone else was waiting for (only 2 more to go in my possesion at the moment, phew). It didnt help that Mr FreePages started it before me and couldn't face the subject matter, made another ring in front of it all the more appealing, I'm afraid. Once started, I found I was caught up in the subject matter, harrowing tho' it was,it was didnt daunt me and it took me no time to finish it.
I'm very glad that she has told her story, I hope that it has been cathartic for her.
I really was pleased that she alternated the chapters with her life outside of prison. It would have been too much for me otherwise.
Really interesting to read about the Iranian Kurds and the Zoroastrian religion.
I also feel that it could have benefitted from an Epilogue, hopefully a future edition might include one, it was helpful to read the interview tho'. Another great book that I've had the privilage to read. Thanks beaulivre and to everyone who passed it on before me. I hope to have it travelling home soon :-) 

Journal Entry 23 by FreePages at Calwell, Australian Capital Territory Australia on Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Released 3 yrs ago (12/17/2008 UTC) at Calwell, Australian Capital Territory Australia

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I've just heard from Bekoh, so the book will be travelling to her today.

Enjoy :-) 

Journal Entry 24 by bekoh from Fern Bay, New South Wales Australia on Sunday, December 21, 2008

Received in the mail today from freepages. Just in time for a good holiday read! 

Journal Entry 25 by bekoh from Fern Bay, New South Wales Australia on Saturday, February 14, 2009

I struggled with this book. I dont think I'm in the right frame of mind to read on such a serious subject at the moment. I would have liked to kept it it a few months and had another try - but am sending it home today. 

Journal Entry 26 by beaulivre from Sydney, New South Wales Australia on Friday, April 17, 2009

This book arrived back safely with me some time ago but I was overseas at the time so forgot to journal it! Thanks to everyone who participated. It was really interesting to read everyone's comments.

I intend to pass this on to hatter in Adelaide who can then pass it on however they like with it! 

Journal Entry 27 by beaulivre at Jones & Partners Staff Room Library in Burnside, South Australia Australia on Thursday, April 08, 2010

Released 2 yrs ago (4/7/2010 UTC) at Jones & Partners Staff Room Library in Burnside, South Australia Australia

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Added to the collection of books in the staff room by a worker fairy.