Random House, Inc.
Including an introduction that explains the events of the 1980s within the larger context of 20th-century Iranian history, an epilogue that movingly describes the traumatic effects of imprisonment on survivors and their families, a glossary, and a list of resources for further research, this book is must reading for Americans trying to understand the complexities of Iranian politics and the nature of the current regime, many of whose leaders were involved in the events of the 1980s. During the summer of 1988, the Islamic Republic of Iran began a systematic execution of political prisoners. Overriding earlier prison sentences handed down by its own tribunals, the regime summarily hanged thousands of inmates, many of them incarcerated at the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran. In great secrecy the bodies of the victims were transported to mass, unmarked graves. For more than two decades, the Iranian government has tried to hide the existence of these gravesites, and as recently as January 2009 has attempted to destroy evidence of their whereabouts. According to Amnesty International, the cumulative death toll of this mass purging of political enemies, which continued to early 1989, ranges from 4,500 to 10,000. The author experienced the terrible ordeal of being a political prisoner in Iran between 1984 and 1989. Against all odds, he survived the wave of state-sponsored killings. This is his personal memoir of the events of that terrible time combined with testimonials of other prisoners who shared their experiences with the author. He describes the courage, resistance, sacrifice, camaraderie, and solidarity of prisoners who did not give up hope. Many refused to give in to the unrelenting pressures of the prison authorities despite brutal interrogation, torture, and fear for their lives. But he also recounts the stories of other prisoners who broke down under pressure and collaborated in torturing, abusing, and controlling their fellow prisoners. To date this is the most detailed report in English of the Iranian prison system in the 1980s and the fate of the regime’s opponents.

Book News
Having returned to Iran with great hopes following the 1979 overthrow of the Shah, the author joined a secular left opposition group resisting the theocratic orientation of the revolution. He was subsequently arrested and held as a prisoner between 1984 and 1989, an era characterized by major political repression. In this memoir, he describes those years, providing a picture of (and tribute to) the experiences of Iranian political prisoners in the 1980s through his own memories and the testimonies of other prisoners. He also includes an introduction that places these events within the context of 20th century Iranian history. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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