Customer Reviews

For the Love of a Child

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

*For the Love of a Child* picks up where *Not Without My Daughter* left off. We get to hear about Mahmoody's return to the U.S.A. and her joyous reunion with her family. But, it does not stop there. Mahmoody describes her efforts to increase public awareness of the issue of international parental child abduction. As she made her struggles known, she met many people with similar stories. *For the Love of a Child* includes the stories of five of those people. Particularly interesting is Mahmoody's account of the making of the film of *Not Without My Daughter*. And, we can be inspired by Mahtob's reaction to all her experiences. In her first book, Betty Mahmoody told us how her desire for her daughter's welfare motivated her to endure tremendous hardship. In *For the Love of a Child*, she shows how universal such desires are, and how they are driving both individuals and governments all over the world.

If it's possible, I found this book even better than it's predecessor.

Betty and Mahtob are now back in America, but Betty is still in fear that Mahtob will be abducted. After she wrote "Not Without My Daughter", she was inundated with requests for help by parents of abducted children. She then began to work with other parents, from many different nationalities and religions. This perhaps was the most surprising aspect of this book, that children are abducted and taken to countries by their parents -no matter what their religion and background.

I found this heartbreaking, there are no simple solutions when people from different countries marry, and then one wants to go 'home' with their children, especially if the marriage has broken down.

I found this book fascinating yet horrible, so many people experiencing immense pain, as a parent I empathised with many of the stories.

Another interesting chapter is towards the end, "Moody responds". Here we find out what happened to Betty Mahmoody's husband.

Just fantastic reading, this book is very highly recommended

Having read Not Without My Daughter years ago, I was filled with a sense of premonition before an attempted kidnapping of my children by their Iranian father, not once but twice. After the second attempt, For the Love of a Child was recommended to me. I appreciated the content, the stories, the differences being presented for various situations and it made me feel like I was not alone. Parents whose children have been abducted often don't know how to react to a horrible situation, and how to deal with emotions such as guilt and the sense of loss. There is a constant sense of not being sure if one is doing the right thing. This book is an eye-opener. For the Love of a Child, in particular, gives a number of scenarios where people can see that an abduction can take place any number of ways, and that abductions are not limited to countries in the Middle East. People must realize that abductions are real, and it is books such as this that put it out there as a reality. The emotions displayed in the book may be difficult for some people to take, and many people will think it is a bunch of BS. I am sorry for them. I hope more books will come out, not just to inform us about situations that happen, but also to give people some ideas on how to protect themselves. The bottom line is that WE as parents are responsible for our children's well-being, and being prepared by reading books such as this, and asking questions, will only help protect our children further. Gaining knowledge, and balancing it with common sense, is what books like this are all about. As for the children and what they feel, sure, they feel confused and disturbed about being taken away from a parent. The important thing to remember is that, along with the right the parents have to see their child(ren), one MUST consider the child(ren)'s well being. As adults, most of us have the ability to choose who we will be with and would not stay two seconds with someone we feel is mistreating us, but children need a parent who is strong to look out for them at all levels. If the child(ren)'s parent takes care to tell them that their other parent loves them, but may not be doing things in a safe manner and environment, then the child(ren) will grow up and better appreciate that which was done for them.

I applaud the courage and grit of the women who face daily the painful and abusive treatment of the religious Shiite sect in Iran toward them and their children. I bow to those who continue the struggle to free other women who continue to be held as prisoners, slaves, and hostages by their own husbands and husbands' families.

Anyone who is in doubt of the atrocities commited against American women and children by their Iranian "husbands" and "inlaws," are either living as a hostage, or are of the mindset of Sayyed Mahmoody and his Shiite sect.

Whether you believe it or not, the truth still exists. Women and children, like Betty and Matob Mahmoody, number in the thousands. I applaud the courage of the Iranians who chose to help the Mahmoodys, and those who have continued to provide that assistance for decades. Those are the true testimonies to the TRUE Islamic faith.

Courage--so beautiful; yet, so ugly to cowards who prefer to hide their crimes and cruelty in their own distorted perversion of Islam.

NOT WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER mesmerized me when I read it, soon after its release. I didn't know until I came across FOR THE LOVE OF A CHILD, quite by accident, that Betty Mahmoody had written a second book. This one continues her story, and that of her daughter, Mahtob. It also tells the stories of other parents whose children have been kidnapped by partners who fled to other countries, and most don't end as happily as that of Betty and Mahtob. Hope is its theme, nevertheless. Although the chapters that give detailed advice to parents who find themselves in this nightmarish position may be dry reading for anyone else, the subject remains an important one. I suspect some of the information may be dated by now, but we certainly don't yet have a world in which international parental kidnapping no longer happens. Until that day arrives, any book that keeps this issue alive deserves to continue being read.

The second book published by Betty is also book worth reading. It her first book "Not without my daughter" she writes about how she was tricked by her Iranian husband to visit Iran. She and her daughter are then forced to stay there for ever, fortunately by new-made friends and a strong fighting spirit, both flee Iran.

In this second book we get to know how Betty re-integrates into the American society after years of forced assimilation in Iran. The book is about her writing the first book, making the film, telling how she moved on and how she came in touch with other women and one man who also had their children kidnapped in foreign countries (mostly in North Africa/Middle East). Betty realises that her fight, her experience can help others and that she is not alone in being kidnapped and forced to accept a patriarchal system. Also, that her daughter has been lucky, to have her mother by her side during those awful year in Iran and also to have left Iran.

The different destinies of the mothers and the only father who Betty retell in her book, shows how fake some people can be, how unstable and it urges the reader to understand her/himself, in finding a way to avoid this void of harming people, making life a scary thriller where you'd better die that live it. These women and the only man that has their children kidnapped, who're been psychologically and physically abused, teaches us to not minimise cultural differences, not underestimate other relatives' influence in our lives and also to not be conquered by fear, `cause it is then you ready to give up. Some of the chapters of these women and the only man ends not so happy, maybe today they have found their children but who knows.

This book is warmly recommended and it shows that we humans are not alone in our most deepest anxieties or in our most lonely moments.

I'm so glad Betty wrote this book. Not only is the reader able to find out how this family recovered, but it answers many questions people feel were unanswered in Not Without My Daughter. Betty becomes involved in the huge problem every nation has with international child abductions. She gives us many other stories of other people in the same situation she was in . I was inspired by this book and became very interested in helping victims of parental child abductions. Anyway, this book is great! Very interesting and it clears up a lot of questions you may have! I loved it!

I purchased a used copy of this book and was very surprised to see a "discarded" stamp on it. This is the continuing story of Betty Mahmoody and her daughter Mahtob. Both miraculously escaped the abuse, beatings, and imprisonment of Betty's husband from desolate Iran. It was (and still is) impossible for any women to leave Iran (or any Islamic State in the Middle East) with her child without her husband's explicit permission that is why Betty's story is so enthralling and riveting. When she returned to their home in MI she wrote her best-selling story, "Not Without My Daughter."

"For The Love Of A Child" picks up where the whirlwind "Not Without My Daughter" left off. The book details how Betty and her daughter have adjusted in the recent years since being imprisoned by her husband. Her newer book also discusses her immediate family's reaction to their circumstances after they came home.

The book also discusses several domestic/international cases that are just as sad, shocking, and interesting as Betty's case. I was especially interested in the story about Zana and Nadia Muhsen. Both young ladies grew up in England and were sold into slavery by their Yemeni father. There is a book about their ordeal which I look forward to reading, appropriately titled Sold: One Woman's True Account of Modern Slavery. Betty wrote the introduction to that tragic story.

Never one to be a shrinking violet, Betty does not mince words or try to cover up anything. The book also discusses the Hague Convention and how and where mothers (and fathers) in similar circumstances can get help. Although some of the stories may seem somewhat date in the year 2006, none of the passion and emotion articulated could ever been described as outdated in the least. Betty Mahmoody is a pioneer for domestic/international/kidnapping rights.

I despair as I read the reviews that deny that situations like this are not happening in the world. And to those who want to know why Mahtob doesn't speak up more often I suggest you decide if you would want to be visible in this situation. Mahtob has spoken out. She's described the situation from her point of view and her experiences line up with her mother. You will NOT hear a lot from her. She doesn't want to be found. And her reasons are obvious. I am grateful to them both for their courage to tell the truth.

Betty Mahmoody continues the story from where she left off in NOT WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER. I found it fascinating. She provides detailed stories of other victims of international kidnappings. Although she states she doesn't wish to prejudice anyone against the people of the countries involved in many of these kidnappings, it is still a stark warning for the reader to beware of those with opposite social and political beliefs when considering marriage.