Unveiled [Mass Market Paperback]

Cherry Mosteshar (Author)

Book Description

Series: Unveiled | Publication Date: October 15, 1997

She was trapped behind the veil of hell

Attractive exucated in Oxdord, and a respected journalist, Cherry Mosteshar seemed the last woman likely to become a terrified Islamic bride; beaten if a wisp of hair showed from beneath her head scarf, forbidden from leaving the country without her husband's permission, and legally worth half a man.

A nightmare world of violence and degradation

But Cherry wanted to returned to the homeland she knew as a child. Filled with ideals and longings, she hoped to help the fundamentalist-ruled national to enter the twentieth century. Instead, she ended up a virtual slave in a nation where a woman constantly experiences fear and degradation.

Now her true story can finally be told

This is Cherry's true story--from her arrival into a monstrous marriage where she became just one of her husband's wives, to her harrowing years as a victim of his sexual whims and his violent outbursts, to her heroic struggle to maintain her identiy while a prisoner stripped of all rights and dignity, to her plight as a terrified victim ready to do anything to save her own life and escape...

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An unflinching look at modern Iran from a woman's viewpoint-- under the veil. Mosteshar, born in Iran but educated in the West at Oxford, returns as an Islamic bride to the country of her birth, only to find herself at the mercy of a society in which she has lost her status and rights, where she is valued as but half a man. Chilling, informative, and fury-fueled, this book pulls back the curtain hiding the shocking picture of female oppression. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Although born in Iran, Mosteshar, a journalist who has worked as a correspondent for leading British periodicals, was educated at Oxford. On periodic visits to her homeland, she lived as a member of Iran's wealthy elite until the Shah was overthrown in 1979. This anecdotal and somewhat disjointed memoir describes the changes that took place after the religious revolution, both in her personal life and in the lives of Iranian women. Initially sympathetic to the goal of revolutionary forces to address the needs of the poor, Mosteshar became disillusioned when her father was called a CIA agent, her personal fortune was confiscated and women's civil rights were stripped away. For reasons the author does not make clear, she married a poor Iranian who stole her money, raped her and lied about his divorce from his first wife, whom Mosteshar supported financially. After much hardship, she escaped from this relationship and now lives in England, fearing retribution should she return to Iran. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (October 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312962886
• ISBN-13: 978-0312962883
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,178,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard-to-put-down and a unique view point., August 12, 2006

By 

Earl of Duntrune - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unveiled (Mass Market Paperback)

A most interesting book form a plucky young lady. I knew her through her many informative articles for the economist and was delighted to be able to get a longer read. The book, apart from being more than readable, gives us a description of modern day Iran through the eyes of someone who does not have any kind of 'agenda':
She goes out there as a journalist (rather a brave act in itself), to see and to report. Whether on the political or personal front she remains lucid and a great story teller to the end.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An innocent with a genetic love of her homeland, August 13, 2006

By 

Rahi Pagram - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unveiled (Mass Market Paperback)

A gripping, unforgettable work which made me laugh and cry, sometimes both at the same time. Written by a respected British journalist whose innocent genetic love for her country of origin takes her out to Iran where she makes heroic efforts to make the reality confirm her idealised image of what should be 'Persia'. Her individual and eccentric personality is rapidly sculpted, and honed, from within, to fit into an artificial entity called The Islamic Republic. It is from this perspective that she gives us a unique glimpse of a man-made state. A tragedy, on a personal and national level, from which she finally emerges with her innocence intact - to continue life in her natural dual state so well encapsulated in the endearing shortened version of her Persian name - nothing to do with a fruit!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars underrated, August 28, 2005

By 

dchanat (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unveiled (Mass Market Paperback)

Many of the reviews here say this book is outdated, but if you look at http://www.iranfocus.com/modules/news/index.php?storytopic=6 or http://www.iranfocus.com under the subject of women you will see it is still slavery for women in Iran. I found this book powerful, scary, sad, terrifying and tragic. This if very important information for us to read, and to realize how complete and complex the oppression is in Iran, especially for women, and how it impacts on every aspect of their lives.