STERLING, Va., Feb. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- My Persian Paradox: Memories of an Iranian Girl by Shabnam Curtis is not the first story to be shared, and it will not be the last, but there is a need for more Persian stories to show the different pieces of this complex puzzle called Persia. This memoir is a tale of resilience facing oppression and dictatorship along with fighting narrow traditional and restrictive cultural rules, a journey of self-discovery, mother-daughter relationship obstacles, forbidden love, and the universal desire for freedom.
The story begins on a cold night in 1978, when seven-year-old Shabnam Shahmohammad clung to her mother in a Tehran apartment while the sounds of gunshots rang out in the street: The Iranian Revolution was at hand. She and her family survived that night, but as the Islamic fundamentalists took power, she grew up watching her father take his beloved books away to burn, his friends be arrested and disappear, and women like her mother grow ever more marginalized. Confused by her father's communist ideology, her mother's conservative religious beliefs, and the regime's oppressive rules, she developed a deep longing to live a different life.
This book is set to be launched on March 20, 2019 by Ingram Spark and will be available in Amazon, Apple, and other major websites for $9.99 e-book and $16.99 Paperback.
Midwest Book Review, D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, provides: "My Persian Paradox is an outstanding synthesis of personal experience, social change, and political insights both in Iran and in the U.S. Its revelations about the emotional growth required to immigrate and reconcile two countries' cultures makes for an inviting, educational, and thoroughly engrossing account which is especially recommended for any library strong in immigrant experiences and the psychology of integration."
Nelson Mandela has said: "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart." By sharing stories in English about Persia and creating closer emotional connections between Americans and Iranian people, there will be more nation to nation support regardless of the governments.
When Governments don't work together, giving awareness to people by sharing stories is the way to go. Stories bring people together at a personal level and create more empathy. It is so timely for Iranian-Americans to share their stories and memories encountering issues inside Iran to bring awareness to their fellow Americans.
Shabnam Curtis was born and raised in Tehran, experiencing the Iranian Revolution of 1979 firsthand. In 2004 she immigrated to the United States, where she now works as a project analyst. Shabnam teaches memoir writing workshops and is working on her second memoir. She lives in Sterling, Virginia, with her husband and two dogs.
Please find more information about My Persian Paradox: Memories of an Iranian Girl @ www.mypersianparadox.com & https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38525185-my-persian-paradox---memories-of-an-iranian-girl
Shabnam Curtis is available for interview, and speaking engagement at 703-209-5678 and [email protected].
SOURCE Shabnam Curtis
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