Not Without My Daughter (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author), William Hoffer (Author) "My daughter dozed in her seat next to the window of a British Airways jetliner, her red-brown curls encircling her face, tumbling haphazardly below her..." (more)
Key Phrases: few rials, turban man, orange taxi, Ameh Bozorg, Baba Hajji, Miss Alavi (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Betty Lover met the perfect "dark stranger" in a Michigan hospital. Her Iranian therapist, Dr. Sayyed Bozorg Mahmoody, became her husband and the father of their daughter, Mahtob. Despite the vicissitudes of the Iran-U.S. hostage crisis, Betty and he flourished until their summer "vacation" in Iran in 1984. The next year and a half were a nightmare. Betty and Mahtob, held hostage by Mahmoody and his family, were subjected to Islamic fundamentalism, Persian nationalistic fanaticism, and a life of squalor. This compelling tale of their terror and escape from Iran is recommended for most libraries. Literary Guild alternate. David P. Snider, Casa Grande P.L., Ariz .
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Spellbinding!"--Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Readers will cheer...good adventure with a happy ending."--Washington Post Book World

"Intense...compelling reading."--Detroit Free Press
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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks; Mti edition (February 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312925883
• ISBN-13: 978-0312925888
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (254 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,438 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars **AN EXCELLENT BOOK**, July 8, 2000

By	J. Abercrombi - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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NOT WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER is one of the very best books that I have ever read. My only regret is that I can't give this book more than 5 stars. Betty Mahmoody is very courageous for telling her story.

This is a story about an American housewife who goes to Iran with her husband and daughter. Her husbands decides to keep her in his homeland against her will. She is a virtual prisoner at the mercy of her corrupt husband. Her basic human rights were violated, rights that any ordinary person takes for granted. She finally finds help to get back home but the journey isn't easy.

This book gives a really positive message which is that there is good in people all around the world. There were many Iranians who were willing to help her no matter what the consequences were.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in equality and human rights. Also, on the same topic I recommend any books by Jean Sasson.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FOR THOSE WHO THINK THAT BETTY WAS LYING......., January 12, 2006

By	ritz (Oklahoma, USA) - See all my reviews

I would advise you all to read her follow-up book to "Not WIthout My Daughter" called "For the Love of a Child". Betty WAS NOT LYING in any part of her book. She has proof of all her experiences and the way she escaped, namely, her stamped passport in Ankara, Turkey. Her ex-husband Moody, recently published his own side of the story is his book "Lost WIthout My Daughter" where he says Betty lied about everything, but he offers no concrete proof of this. Betty has her bus tickets, passport stamps and valid witnesses to the proof of her escape from Moody's wicked claws. More proof? Mahtob, her daughter, who is now an adult has repeatedly refused to acknowledge her father because her trust was betrayed as a child. Surely, as a grown woman, Mahtob is able to make her own decisions and her decisions stand as proof of what both she and her mother went through to get away from this madman (who has lied repeatedly). Also, this book (and the movie) was not meant as an affront to the Iranian culture. Quite the contrary, Betty goes out of her way in the book to relate the fact that it was the kind and compassionate Iranians who helped her escape from Moody's clutches. She received NO HELP from the U.S. state departments. People should remember that this is an honest depiction from HER standpoint and what SHE WENT through. She is only speaking for herself and no one else. As for Moody, well, he is obviously a bitter old man now. Perhaps he does feel loss and anguish for Mahtob, but he did bring the situation upon himself. If Mahtob refuses to have anything to do with him, it is her decision and who can blame her? It is time for people to realize that Betty's book was factual and not exaggerated in any way.

21 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Understandably Biased, October 7, 2003

By	Galloway Grumblefield (Syracuse, New York) - See all my reviews

First, the book was not necessarily well written, but then, this kind of book doesn't have to be well written to get its point across.
Biased, yes, but understandably so. Many of the reviews that follow claim that Betty Mahmoudi has presented a one-sided, bigoted, prejudiced, etc., etc., view of life in Iran (in 1984). But, here are some facts those reviews ignore:
1) Betty wanted to GET OUT OF IRAN! If Iran is so great, why didn't she want to stay? I also notice that most, if not all, of the people who are criticizing the objectiveness of this book are Iranians who are not living in Iran (they are Iranians living in Canada or in the UK - go figure)!
2) Betty's desperation to get out of Iran is the only justification she needs to do whatever it takes, legal or otherwise, to accomplish her objective. If she had the support and cooperation of a loving Iranian host/family, then she would not have needed to resort to smugglers.
3) Whether or not Dr. Mahmoudi made Betty stay in doors because Iran it is dangerous for a woman to walk the city streets of Iran or because he was afraid that Betty would try to escape, it doesn't matter. Both scenarios are bad.
4) Criticisms about this story (and I understand much of it may be exaggerated, but this is Betty's story and not yours, my friend) are mostly coming from the lucky people who are not actually living the horror that Betty had to go through.

Is this story biased? Yes! Is that bias understandable? Yes! Is Betty a somewhat culturally ignorant bumpkin? Yes. You can put any kind of positive spin you want on life in Iran, but the bottom line is that many more people are trying to get out of Iran than are trying to get into Iran.

Another story that carried a somewhat similar theme of Americans who don't do well in foreign places is "Daughter of Danang" ( http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/daughter/ ), which really made me feel more sympathy for the Vietnamese people than for the immature and insensitive American girl who returned to Danang, her birthplace, for a family reunion of sorts.