Then They Came For Me: A Story of Injustice and Survival in Iran's Most Notorious Prison - Softcover

Bahari, Maziar

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1851689540 ISBN 13: 9781851689545

Publisher: Oneworld Publications, 2013

Synopsis

Maziar Bahari left London in June 2009 to cover Iran s contested presidential elections for Newsweek magazine. He thought he'd be returning in just a few days to Paola, his pregnant fiancée. Instead, he was incarcerated under false charges of espionage in Iran's most notorious prison. His release came four months later, only after a global campaign supported by Hillary Clinton.

While suffering regular beatings, forced confessions, and threats of execution, Bahari draws strength from the experiences of his family in the past: his father was imprisoned by the shah in the 1950s, and his sister by Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1980s. Exposing the contradictions at the heart of Ahmadinejad's paranoid regime, this inspiring and often witty story of one family's courage in the face of repression is also a beautifully written portrait of modern Iran.

About this title

Review

“What makes Bahari's account so readable is not only his sense of fair play - he tries to understand the motivations of the regime, and of his torturer - but also his keen sense of fun and humour.” - Sunday Times

“This harrowing memoir provides an illuminating glimpse into the security apparatus of one of the world's most repressive countries. Especially timely given recent events throughout the Middle East, this book is recommended for anyone wishing to better understand the workings of a police state.” - Kirkus Reviews

“Offers an alarming window into the minds of those who rule Iran today... Readers will come away from this intimate, authoritative book with a fuller understanding of Iran, why its green uprising petered out, and why no one should be surprised if it kicks off again.”

--Financial Times

“A profound, yet intimate insight into modern day Iran, told through Bahari's own and his family's experience of living through it. A wonderful book.” - Jon Snow

“A superb account... Insightful and brave.” - Jane Corbin, journalist and reporter for Panorama

“ Then They Came for Me is the story of those who fight to inform and enlighten their society. Fortunately, Iran is not only a country of Ahmadinejads and mullahs, the country is also blessed with plenty of Maziar Baharis.” - Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and author of Iran Awakening

“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, author of The Post-American World

“A riveting, brutally honest account, Then They Came for Me is one of the most powerful prison memoirs I have ever read. This haunting and unforgettable book will make you angry at the prison that is today's Iran, and happy that a fine journalist like Maziar Bahari escaped to tell the truth about the regime.”

--David Ignatius, author of Body of Lives

“A fascinating walk through Iran's tumultuous recent history. Students of the region will welcome Mr Bahari's insightful contribution.” - Joseph Wilson, former US Ambassador and author of The Politics of Truth

“An extraordinary personal account of the summer of 2009, when young protestors poured into Iran's streets, of Bahari's imprisonment during the savage repression that followed, and of the love that helped to set him free.” - Christopher Dickey, author of Securing the City

“Maziar Bahari's story is at once political and personal, and this account of his family's journey and his own captivity in Iran is both illuminating and touching. If you want to understand modern-day Iran and experience a fascinating human story, read this book.” - Evan Thomas, author of Sea of Thunder and The War Lovers

“Maziar Bahari is a visionary reporter, a deep soul, and a breathtakingly beautiful writer. Then They Came for Me will have you aching for the ones you love, furious at the evil of extremism, and inspired by the heroism of one extraordinary family. I can't recommend this book highly enough - it will forever change how you view Iran, your family, and your own capacity for resilience.”

--Bruce Feiler, author of Walking the Bible and The Council of Dads

“A profound, yet intimate insight into modern day Iran, told through Bahari's own and his family's experience of living through it. A wonderful book.” - Jon Snow

“A superb account... Insightful and brave.” - Jane Corbin, journalist and reporter for Panorama

“ Then They Came for Me is the story of those who fight to inform and enlighten their society. Fortunately, Iran is not only a country of Ahmadinejads and mullahs, the country is also blessed with plenty of Maziar Baharis.” - Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and author of Iran Awakening

“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, author of The Post-American World

“A riveting, brutally honest account, Then They Came for Me is one of the most powerful prison memoirs I have ever read. This haunting and unforgettable book will make you angry at the prison that is today's Iran, and happy that a fine journalist like Maziar Bahari escaped to tell the truth about the regime.”

--David Ignatius, author of Body of Lives

“A fascinating walk through Iran's tumultuous recent history. Students of the region will welcome Mr Bahari's insightful contribution.” - Joseph Wilson, former US Ambassador and author of The Politics of Truth

“An extraordinary personal account of the summer of 2009, when young protestors poured into Iran's streets, of Bahari's imprisonment during the savage repression that followed, and of the love that helped to set him free.” - Christopher Dickey, author of Securing the City

“Maziar Bahari's story is at once political and personal, and this account of his family's journey and his own captivity in Iran is both illuminating and touching. If you want to understand modern-day Iran and experience a fascinating human story, read this book.” - Evan Thomas, author of Sea of Thunder and The War Lovers

“Maziar Bahari is a visionary reporter, a deep soul, and a breathtakingly beautiful writer. Then They Came for Me will have you aching for the ones you love, furious at the evil of extremism, and inspired by the heroism of one extraordinary family. I can't recommend this book highly enough - it will forever change how you view Iran, your family, and your own capacity for resilience.”

--Bruce Feiler, author of Walking the Bible and The Council of Dads

‘Then They Came for Me 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

From the Publisher

A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK OF THE WEEK

Maziar Bahari left London in June 2009 to cover Iran's presidential election, believing he d return to his pregnant fiancée, Paola, in just a few days, a week at most. In fact he would spend the next three months in Iran's most notorious prison, enduring brutal interrogation sessions while terrible threats were made to his family. Gripping and masterfully told, Then They Came for Me delves into Iran's history of oppression, and details how the democratic impulses of the youth are violently oppressed by a government that grows ever more totalitarian. An intimate account of contemporary Iran, it is also the moving story of one family's extraordinary courage in the face of repression.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1851689540
• ISBN 13: 9781851689545
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384