The Wind in My Hair
My Fight for Freedom in Modern Iran
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
An extraordinary memoir from an Iranian journalist in exile about leaving her country, challenging tradition and sparking an online movement against compulsory hijab.
A photo on Masih's Facebook page: a woman standing proudly, face bare, hair blowing in the wind. Her crime: removing her veil, or hijab, which is compulsory for women in Iran. This is the self-portrait that sparked 'My Stealthy Freedom,' a social media campaign that went viral.
But Masih is so much more than the arresting face that sparked a campaign inspiring women to find their voices. She's also a world-class journalist whose personal story, told in her unforgettably bold and spirited voice, is emotional and inspiring. She grew up in a traditional village where her mother, a tailor and respected figure in the community, was the exception to the rule in a culture where women reside in their husbands' shadows.
As a teenager, Masih was arrested for political activism and was surprised to discover she was pregnant while in police custody. When she was released, she married quickly and followed her young husband to Tehran where she was later served divorce papers to the shame and embarrassment of her religiously conservative family. Masih spent nine years struggling to regain custody of her beloved only son and was forced into exile, leaving her homeland and her heritage. Following Donald Trump's notorious immigration ban, Masih found herself separated from her child, who lives abroad, once again.
A testament to a spirit that remains unbroken, and an enlightening, intimate invitation into a world we don't know nearly enough about, The Wind in My Hair is the extraordinary memoir of a woman who overcame enormous adversity to fight for what she believes in, and to encourage others to do the same.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this intense memoir, Alinejad, an Iranian journalist and women's rights advocate, writes about her life of resistance in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Alinejad chronicles her teenage years in a rural village in the 1990s, pulling pranks as a kind of rebellion against the supreme leader (in a high school Quran-reading competition, she recited an epic poem by Ahmad Shamlou in Persian); as an adult, she became a prominent, globally recognized advocate for women's rights in Iran. Although she had no college degree, Alinejad became a journalist, and her first significant role as a reporter was covering the Majlis (Iranian parliament), including Mohammad Khatamis's reelection to president in 2001. Later, she would become a scathing critic of Ahmadinejad's presidency, publishing a series of damning articles in her column "The Government of Denial" for the National Trust newspaper. Forced into exile in Britain, Alinejad launched My Stealthy Freedom a Facebook page where women who rejected the compulsory hijab posted pictures of themselves without the head scarf. Women all over Iran risked imprisonment and even their lives and safety to post pictures. Alinejad's stories of her illustrious career as a groundbreaking journalist challenging the Islamic Republic make for a fascinating narrative.
Customer Reviews
Incredible!!
Have you heard of the protests going in Iran? Probably not since the main media is not covering these news. Did you know that what sparks these protests is a woman wearing a hijab with strands of hair not fully covered that was killed by the police? These protests are the fatal straw of a new generation of Iranians tired of the current Islamic regime that mandates law across the country. One of them is to force women from the age of 7 to wear the hijab and chador everywhere regardless of their religious faith. I wanted to learn more about the women protesting and read the book by Masih Alinejad. She is a woman from the North of Iran who’s always challenged the status quo by first refusing to wear the chador, then becoming a journalist to challenge the authorities in power, to being exiled and becoming an activist for women’s right. Her life and courage is unmatched. I believe if you are a true feminist you should support all areas of women demanding equal rights in the world. The women and men in Iran are doing just that currently to bring down an old Islamic regime. I really enjoyed this book as it open my eyes to the reality of the protest going Iran which are from at least 40 years in the making. Support Iranian women!