My Life as a Traitor

Zarah Ghahramani was born in Tehran in 1981, two years after Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran. Her life changed suddenly in 2001 when, after having taken part in student demonstrations, she was arrested and charged with 'inciting crimes against the people of the Islamic Republic of Iran'. This is a beautifully written memoir of Zarah's life in Iran, revealing the human face behind the turmoil of the modern Middle East. Her descriptions of Persian culture, contemporary Iranian society and radical Islamist politics are eye-opening, but it is the story of Zarah's struggle to survive the nightmare world of Iran's oppressive regime that makes this book unforgettable.