Customer Reviews

Even After All This Time: A Story of Love, Revolution, and Leaving Iran

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I see this book as two or perhaps three in one.

On the one hand it is the story of a family torn apart by the execution of the father (convicted of commiting murder on the day he was in a hospital far away). The author was a young girl of ten at that time. This is the story of her life after her fathers arrest and execution. Obviously well to do at the time, the two daughters were sent to school in Austria, and finally to an uncle in America.

As part of this, I am reminded that when people move to the United States, they often become the best, most capable citizens we have. In this family of four children there are two doctors and two lawyers. Often, usually, the people who leave a country are the best people that that country has. Our country is benefitted by their being here.

Finally, this is the story of how an Islamic government moving into power. At one time the author's mother is showing hospital records to the jailer, and is told that it doesn't matter what proof she has, the decision stands and he will be executed. Not too different, I guess, than the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, but a pretty rough way to life. And this is what people say they want???

As others mentioned, the real heroes of this story are Afschineh Latifi's mother and father. Even though he knew his fate, her father had supreme courage standing up to the maniacs who would put him to death. Her mother suffered the loss of her husband silently and sacrificed in order to save her children from the madness that took over their country. If Latifi would have concentrated on the lives of her parents this would be a different but much better story.
Instead we read about two adolescent girls who suffered the sad loss of their father but otherwise had it pretty well off; especially when you consider the misery of the millions of Iranians who went through the nightmare of the Khomeini revolution, followed by the hell that was the Iran-Iraq War. A million young Iranian men perished in that war and Latifi has very little --if anything-- to say about it.
Outside of struggling with the latest fashions, what does Latifi feel she and her sister suffered? Shriveled oranges in the refrigerator (at a time when most Iranians wish they had any oranges, much less a refrigerator) and not having a VCR (mind you, this was when many Americans didn't have VCRs)!
While in Austria the two sisters took the money their mother had saved for them and went on nonstop shopping sprees. When the mother came to Austria and had serious need of the money she found it almost all gone! Needless to say, the poor woman was devastated and almost collapsed. These girls didn't want to realize what their family was going through. Clearly, they had little appreciation for what their mother was doing for them.
What these girls had was a loving, devoted mother who made sure they received safety overseas and an education. Afschineh Latifi should also be grateful that her uncle Mammad agreed to take her and her sister in, giving them the oppurtunity to live in America. The things Latifi says about him and his family show me that Latifi was a spoiled kid who was detached from true suffering in this world.

I was fortunate enough to be browsing in a well known bookstore when Afshineh Latifi was holding a book signing of her memoir. I bought the book immediately after partaking in her discussion and am happy to say that it was extremely enjoyable. She has a lot to be proud of and so does her mom. I was captivated by her life story from the start and I highly recomend her book.

What I love about this book is its ability to engender controversy.... just look at the reviews. I wonder if Ms. Latifi realized it would have such an impact when she wrote it? Every reader finds a different story between the covers....some see a touching tribute to parents, some see an inspirational tale of an immigrant family that overcomes substantial odds, some see it as the whining of a disenfranchised "Persian princess", some see it as a political novel (go figure!), etc. I see another aspect, a touching exploration of the toll of early loss in life. Ms. Latifi lost her father to execution at the hands of Khomeini's henchmen, and, effectively, her mother due to her absence for a critical period of her early life while Ms. Latifi and her sister were studying in Austria and the U.S. No wonder she says she was reluctant to risk loving and commiting herself to someone outside the family! Enjoy this book for all the different tales it tells. I applaud Ms. Latifi for her straightfoward storytelling (so what if it is not written to the standard of a great American classic.) She really tells it like it is, especially with respect to Persian and American traits, warts and all! (I also loved the Persian sayings sprinkled throughout.) Brava!

The author has many of the defects of your average American kid: Self-absorbed, superficial, etc.
The book is, however, a graphic coming-of-age story of an immigrant child and has its charm. Not great, but worth reading if that's what you're after.

In the spring of 1979 when Latifi was only 10, her father, a colonel in the Shah's army was executed for crimes against the state by Khomeni loyalists. The author begins her story with the cold facts of her father's haphazard imprisonment, quick trial and summary execution.

Life had been getting progressively worse in the months leading up to the Islamic revolution, and what makes Colonel Latifi's death doubly tragic is the fact that he likely could have fled the country with his family, as many others in the middle and upper classes did at that time. The elder Latifi never stopped believing that he had a duty to his country, and so he stayed.

The death of the family patriarch preceeds a long battle for his widow to get her children out of Iran, however she could, and to safety. As radical Islam gains a stronghold over the land, it becomes increasingly difficult for her to raise her family and continue her own work as a teacher, which she refuses to give up. She enrolls Afschineh and her elder sister Asfaneh to a private school in Austria, where they can pursue their studies free from the extremism that has gripped their country. It would be years until the mother could secure visas for her two sons so that she could secret them out of Iran on the guise of a short family visit in the United States.

The Latifi mother is a driven woman who is convinced that all four of her children will become doctors. During the daughters' difficult years of estrangement from their Persian relations, she advises them in weekly telephone calls with the words of her husband: "You are the daughter of a soldier", she says, to steel their resolve.

When the Latifi girls finally make it to America, they stay with their uncle in Virginia. The arrangement is strained from the beginning. Eventually, they declare their independence from this situation and get an apartment together, where they work their way through school. The young women often work multiple jobs in order to make enough money to pay the modest rent, and to have something left to send to their mother, who is mightily struggling back home.

Young Afschineh comes across as demanding and self-centered on a number of occasions, but she is forthcoming about her faults. To her credit, not only is she a young girl, but she had to endure her father's untimely death, followed by her fall from a comfortable upper-middle class lifestyle and life in a foreign land in which she knows no one. The story reaches a climax with the author's return to her native land some 15 years after she left to pursue her education, as she struggles to remember the place where she grew up.

Even After All This Time is a gripping memoir of a young girl who is torn between two worlds. This aspect of the book reminded me of Barack Obama's memoir, Dreams from my Father. Her family's determination and love for one another is what keeps them together and ultimately saves them all. It is truly a beautiful story of survival and hope.

I just finished this book and loved it. If you like reading about different culture and enjoy non-fiction this is the perfect book for you. Its true, sometimes the author's admission of crying over clothes and Barbies is shocking - but I see it as admission of truth and lack of understanding. The author isn't patting herself on the back for these traits - but showing the reader how, as a child, she didn't fully comprehend the gravity of her family's situation. She was not careless and selfish individual, but a confused and frightened child.

A deeply moving story about a family struggling long and hard to rebuild in America after their lives are shattered by war. Powerful, haunting stuff, punctuated by moments of great levity and humor. And not an ounce of self-pity anywhere! In writing this book, the author pays homage to her remarkable mother, and comes across as a a pretty remarkable woman herself. Highly recommended.

This book was entertaining to read and educational at the same time! I had no knowledge of Iran or persian customs. I guess I was pretty ignorant. But after reading this book, I have a deep respect for those who have come to this country and made something of themselves. I have never met the family descibed in the book, but I feel like I know them and they have made me proud!

Afschineh Latifi's touching tribute to her loving, devoted parents touched me in so many ways. I could not put it down. Ms. Latifi is a terrific role model who demonstrates that the power of strong morals beliefs, high personal goals, perseverance and family values can lead not only to professional success but also to inner peace.

The true saga of a young father's execution by barbaric terrorists a mere 25 years ago was very tragic, especially when heard through the voice of the victim's young daughter. The story continues with tales of two innocent little girls who were thrust into the world to fend for themselves without the guidance of a mother or father for many of their formative years.

While reading the book I found myself crying one moment and laughing the next. The author's frankness in sharing the experiences and inner thoughts of a child growing into her own were honest, pure, and often hysterical!

"The wife and daughters of a soldier," as they proudly refer to themselves, Afschineh, her sister, Afsaneh, and their mother, Fatemeh, did what was required to provide for their family through very difficult times. They overcame great obstacles and persevered together to achieve great success in their lives emotionally and professionally. An impressive collection of family photos dispersed throughout the book makes their life story really come to life. I found this book to be extremely inspirational and I would recommend it to anyone, including my 4 children.