Rating: 
Summary: great book
Review: i first read about betty in readers digest 1986 i read her story and made me cry read the book see the movie and do not insault this lady she speaks the truth
Rating: 
Summary: false perceptions
Review: The book and movie are littered with defamatory statements about Iranian culture, Iranian women, and Iranian people. Since the book is touted as being true, these false statements are particularly damaging. I really sympathize with all individuals whose lives were damaged by the trauma of divorce, and the particular complications of international custody laws. However, because the book and the movie contain numerous, broad, negative generalizations about Iranians, and because portions of the book are certainly false, I condemn the book and movie on the grounds that it strengthens false and negative perceptions about Iranians. At a time when the importance of tolerance is appreciated by all, it is sad to see that an individual propagates false information and targets for fame by defaming one of the strongest cultures in the world in such a trifling manner. Freedom of speech has seldom been mocked so carelessly.
Rating:
Summary: The best book I have read so far
Review: I must have read this book at least ten times. And it still make me cry... I did not know that a person could love someone else so much...this book is simply perfect...
Rating: 
Summary: Very Moving Book About A Very Difficult Theme
Review: We must remember that this poor woman wound up with her family in Iran at a very difficult time, not too long after the revolution. Also, there are many men who consider their wives as nothing but possessions still today in many other places on this planet, not only in Iran, but I believe there are many terriffic husbands in these places as well. It is NOT an issue of Islam. The Koran teaches that a woman is very valuable, but the teachings of The Koran, like the teachings of any holy book can be overlooked when it comes to tradition or personal demons. The truth of the matter is, in many places around this globe, women have no legal rights, including when it comes to child custody. Here in the US not all that long ago, that issue applied as well. Women were subordinates and could be beaten by their husbands and it was considered only a domestic issue rather than a crime. Women here could be put out of the home and unable to take their children with them. If they could, they had no real way of supporting them. Even today, men still get paid more because they are still looked at as the primary breadwinners, even if the woman is the head of the household with no husband. I think we need to bear these things in mind before we judge. Yes Ms. Mahmoody went through a horrible time. The unfortuate thing is attrocities can exist in any culture.
Rating: 
Summary: Gives wrong picture of Koran, but right of chauvenists
Review: The book was too 'American'. Mahmoody shows no understanding for other culture and judges it immediately. It seems, that she doesn't even want to understand that cultures, even facial expressions vary form place to another. There are also good Iranians and good Moslems, who really live according to Koran. This book has nothing to do with religion or Koran, her experiences have much more to do with a simple, biased, chauvenist man - she should have considered twice to go to Iran without visiting the country first - without the child. I hear Iranians are very dissapointed that she ignored the fact that Iran used to be everything else but fundamentalism. She must have had hard time, but I can also read, that she has a very childish and prejudiced opinion about both America and Iran. As a foreigner, I can say, that I have heard similar stories from America, a Finnish woman has a child and the American husband tries to kidnap the child and makes their life hell. These things don't happen only in Iran, they happen even in America, actually where ever one goes.
Rating:
Summary: This was one of the best books I've ever read!
Review: I love this book! I've read it so many times my copy is falling apart. It is so interesting that I cannot put it down when I start to read it. There are no boring parts and no detail is uninteresting. In fact, the details about life in Iran is the best part. I recommend this book to everyone.
Rating:
Summary: An engrossing read
Review: This book is a good, well written fast read...I don't think it's fair to say the book is racist. She was being forthright about what happened to her. We're living in very oppressive times if someone cannot express her impressions and experiences without worrying if she's being one-sided. Of course it's one sided--she's talking about what SHE went through! And at several points in the book she writes about the Iranian people who helped her. For everyone who fretted over this giving people the wrong view of Iranians, give me a break, that's like watching a bunch of mob movies and concluding that all Italians are gangsters--any educated person knows that one book cannot be the ultimate authority on any culture.
Rating:
Summary: saw the movie.would recommend either the movie.
Review: havent read the book, but i have seen the movie and it was great. was a tear jerker to see how Betty and her daughter was stuck in Iran for a few years. glad that Betty and her daughter was able to get back to the US and be reunited with family and familiar surroundings. would recommend this to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: A GOOD READ
Review: THE STORY FLOWS VERY NATURALLY AND YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO PUT THE BOOK DOWN UNTIL YOU FINISH IT.I REALLY LIKED IT AND THE ONLY REASON THAT I AM NOT GIVING IT A 5-STAR RATING IS BECAUSE THERE IS PERFECT IGNORRANCE (FROM BETTY)ABOUT THE WAY IRANIANS THINK OR ACT.YOU CAN'T BLAME SOMEONE FOR HIS WAY OF THINKING OR LIVING HIS LIFE,LET ALONE AN ENTIRE NATION,AN ENTIRE CULTURE.OK,MAYBE I,TOO,WOULDN'T WANT MY KID TO LIVE IN IRAN BUT ... I WOULD RECOMMENT THIS BOOK TO ANYONE WHO IS NOT INTERESTED IN POLITICS AND WANTS SOMETHING GOOD TO READ.
Rating:
Summary: Everone should experience this book!
Review: As I read this book I found that I couldn't put it down. This book made me aware of how Cultures are different and I need to be prepared when I go to different cultures. In the book Ms. Mahmoody shares with us her feelings for her husband and his culture. She also shares with us that her daugher was afraid of her father. A four year old afriad of her own father! Also when Ms. Mahmoody described the dirtyness of Iran that also shows that when we travel America will seem like it is a supiror place. Over all this was a great book!
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