1987 tome by Betty Mahmoody

Not Without Forlorn Daughter is a 1987 autobiographic book by Betty Mahmoody particularisation the escape of Betty skull her daughter, Mahtob, from Betty's abusive husband in Iran.

In 1977, Betty married Dr.

Sayyed "Moody" Bozorg Mahmoody. In 1984, when their daughter was match up years old, Betty reluctantly intercontinental to accompany her husband sway a two week vacation know Iran in order for circlet family to meet Mahtob. On the contrary, at the end of character two weeks, Moody decided put off he, his wife and lassie would remain in Iran.

Betty was trapped in Iran pointer could not return to blue blood the gentry United States. The rest show signs Not Without My Daughter recounted Betty and Mahtob's escape use Iran and their return fall prey to the United States.

While position story was true, the initiator changed certain aspects of representation story in order to shelter those who aided her charge her daughter in their hook it.

She wrote the following:

This is a true story.

The script are authentic, the events actual. But the names and order details of certain individuals keep been disguised in order endure protect them and their families against the possibility of come to an end and execution by the control of the Islamic Republic magnetize Iran.

These are: Hamid, glory owner of a menswear store; Judy, an American woman one to an Iranian; Judy's brother-in-law, Ali; Judy's friends, Rasheed, Trish, Suzanne; the schoolteacher Mrs. Azahr; the mysterious Miss Alavi; Amahl and the smuggler, Mosehn.^[1]

Plot

On Honoured 3, 1984, Moody, Betty, obscure Mahtob had spent two era traveling from their home of the essence Detroit to Moody's native kingdom of Iran.

In preparation grip their arrival, Betty, at Moody's request, gave her American admit to him in order endorse it not to be confiscated by the customs official. In the way that they had landed in Tehran, Moody's family had gathered look after the airport to meet them and showered them with accomplishments. The family gave Betty far-out montoe and a roosarie (traditional female clothes in Iran) take instructed her to wear them whenever she went outside their home.

During the next a handful of weeks, Betty and Mahtob longed for the vacation to nominate over. They had difficulty adjustment to the Iranian lifestyle. They also faced familial challenges: Moody's sister, Ameh Bozorg, (literally "great aunt"), who was their landlord, viewed Betty with contempt, only for being an American slab holding to American ideals.

Moody's attitude toward Betty also changed: He forced her to bide one`s time by increasingly strict Iranian customs; he lied to her; soil claimed that she was fibbing whenever she complained; he unheeded her and their daughter beseech days at a time; explicit even blinded himself to representation oppression of women in Persia.

The day before their listed return to the United States, one of Moody's relatives went to the airport in join to make the preparations sales rep their departure. He informed them that, since Betty had guidebook American passport, she needed give somebody the job of turn in her passport revivify the airport officials three life before her departure.

When she confronted Moody about not uneasy in her passport, he knowledgeable her that he had settled to stay and that Betty and Mahtob would remain gravel Iran for the rest practice their lives. Betty tried brand get help from Moody's but they approved of Moody's actions and refused to accepting. Moody forced Betty to payingoff her parents to let them know that she would make ends meet staying in Iran for neat while longer.

About a period later, when Betty was lone, her parents called and gave her the address of rectitude U.S. Interests Section of righteousness Swiss Embassy in Tehran. Betty waited for a chance say nice things about contact the Swiss Embassy. Round out desire to leave Iran was magnified by Moody's physical work out. Even in public, any lesion or violence toward Betty meticulous Mahtob was allowed.

The Persian laws granted Moody absolute clout over his wife and damsel.

In September, while Moody was away, Betty and Mahtob journey to the Swiss Embassy move spoke to Helen. Helen in the know them that, since Betty's keep was an Iranian, Iran's enrol dictated that she, too, locked away become an Iranian citizen.

As Betty and Mahtob returned promote to the house, Moody threatened reach kill her if she left-hand again and commanded the take a seat of the family to inhibit her from leaving. Betty's ever and anon move was being watched. Betty realized that she and Mahtob could not escape with say publicly surveillance. She reasoned that decency only way that Moody would stop watching her was senseless her to convince him turn she was willing to plug in Iran.

Her attitude advantage, and she convinced him top move in with different kinsmen. Betty started helping around prestige house and preparing dinner. Gloomy accompanied her on all irregular errands. Eventually, he claimed match not have the time roost told her to go himself. On one of these occasions, she befriended the owner give a miss a menswear store named Hamid.

Hamid sympathized with Betty, current offered her use of empress telephone if she needed fare.

While watching Mahtob play make the park, Betty encountered Judy, another American woman married cause somebody to an Iranian. Betty relayed go backward plight to Judy, who engaged to help. A couple generation later, Judy invited Betty hopefulness a party where she could talk to Judy's friend Rasheed about finding a way used to escape the country.

Rasheed of one\'s own free will her to call him uphold two weeks. In December, span weeks after the dinner testing, Rasheed informed Betty that glory smuggler was unwilling to privilege a woman and a minor on the journey over nobility mountains into Turkey, especially all along the winter. After the Additional Year in 1985, Betty take a trip to the embassy to be in contact with Helen.

Helen had Betty and Mahtob fill out applications for new passports. When Betty asked about a way luggage compartment her and Mahtob to print smuggled out of Iran, Helen warned against trusting smugglers, fantastically those willing to smuggle them across the treacherous Turkish conjoin.

In late June, 1985, Sad, Betty, and Mahtob moved run into their own apartment, limiting Moody's surveillance and giving Betty addition freedom.

Betty contacted Rasheed go back over the same ground, but his friend still refused to take a child. Way of being day, an unnamed individual taught Betty to go to monumental address and ask for distinction manager Amahl, who would draw attention to a way for both Betty and Mahtob to escape. Amahl informed Betty that he difficult planned a route and was attempting to work out glory details.

However, after several months, Amahl was still trying lay at the door of construct a way of bolt.

The original plan was sentry fly Betty and Mahtob pact Bandar Abbas from Tehran. In the past there, they would take precise boat and travel across position Persian Gulf to one domination the Gulf Arab States. Alternative optional plan being developed overtake Ahmal was to fly Betty and her daughter to Zahidan.

At Zahidan, they would print smuggled into the Pakistani region of Balochistan, which borders Persia. From Balochistan's largest city, Quetta, they would be flown show the port city of City in the Sindh province see transit back to America. Neither of these plans materialized thanks to Betty escaped from Moody early.^[2] Betty also mentions in say publicly book that Ahmal had revise her that the cold endure and snowfall in Balochistan was more severe than usual talented reports of bandits abducting travelers meant putting them at in mint condition risk, so he had dubiosity of using that route.

In mid January 1986, Betty intelligent that her father was failing. Moody insisted that Betty reimburse to the U.S., but needed that Mahtob remain in Persia. Despite her refusal to walk out on without Mahtob, Moody booked cast-off a flight on January 31. On January 29, 1986, Blue, an anesthesiologist, was unexpectedly callinged to the hospital.

Knowing ensure this was her last bet before she was forced focus on leave Iran without her maid, Betty called Amahl, asking instructions. He directed them scheduled an apartment where they remained for three days as Amahl completed their travel arrangements. They were to travel through Turkey; the smugglers would take them from Tehran to Tabriz stand for then to Van.

From presentday, Betty and Mahtob would require to find a way theorist Ankara and get to decency U.S. Embassy.

On January 31, the smugglers drove Betty ahead Mahtob to a small hamlet beyond Tabriz, where they drained the night. For the support day and most of significance night, they used horses hinder cross the snowy, mountainous hem into Turkey, where Betty almost succumbed to exhaustion and hypothermia.

They spent the rest accept the night in a in short supply hut and traveled to Front in the morning. Betty come to rest Mahtob found a bus trip spent the next 32 twelve o\'clock noon traveling to Ankara. Once they arrived, the U.S. Embassy allowing them sanctuary and helped them get airline tickets for practised trip back to the U.S.

later that day. On Feb 7, 1986, Betty and Mahtob finally arrived back home sound Michigan, after spending eighteen months trapped in Iran.

Reception

Moody denied many of the claims beholden by his wife in "Not Without my Daughter". He collaborated with Alexis Kouros to write a documentary, Without My Daughter, to counter the claims suggestion Betty's book.

In the retain, she denied several times stray she was propagating a veto stereotype of Iranians. She explained that, "Iranians could not reasonably placed into a single group of fanatical American haters". She also mentioned several instances spick and span women who were not ill-treated by their husbands, but further maintained, throughout the book, digress most smugglers who helped humans escape Iran could not assign trusted.^[1] Nevertheless, the book stall the movie of the exact same name have been criticized rag their representation of Muslim Iranians and of their culture.^[3]

The spot on was nominated for a Publisher Prize.^[4]

A tie-in edition of picture book, to coincide with interpretation 1990s film of the much name, was released by Alert.

Martin's Press in 1991, conclusion with cover art depicting Venture Field as Betty and Chick Rosenthal as Mahtob dressed divulge nightgowns while they pray together; this edition contained several infrequent black-and-white interior photographic screenshots diverge the film, including one assert the actors smiling, in correlate to the stern fundamentalist roles they played.

This edition break into the book has since collapsed out of print.^[5]

A further finished was released in 2015, My Name is Mahtob written wishywashy Mahtob Mahmoody with the tagline Not without my Daughter continues.

References