Until We Are Free: My Fight for Human Rights in Iran

The first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, Shirin Ebadi has inspired millions around the globe through her work as a human rights lawyer defending women and children against a brutal regime in Iran. Now Ebadi tells her story of courage and defiance in the face of a government out to destroy her, her family, and her mission: to bring justice to the people and the country she loves. For years the Islamic Republic tried to intimidate Ebadi, but after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rose to power in 2005, the censorship and persecution intensified. The government wiretapped Ebadi s phones, bugged her law firm, sent spies to follow her, harassed her colleagues, detained her daughter, and arrested her sister on trumped-up charges. It shut down her lectures, fired up mobs to attack her home, seized her offices, and nailed a death threat to her front door. Despite finding herself living under circumstances reminiscent of a spy novel, nothing could keep Ebadi from speaking out and standing up for human dignity. But it was not until she received a phone call from her distraught husband and he made a shocking confession that would all but destroy her family that she realized what the intelligence apparatus was capable of to silence its critics. The Iranian government would end up taking everything from Shirin Ebadi her marriage, friends, and colleagues, her home, her legal career, even her Nobel Prize but the one thing it could never steal was her spirit to fight for justice and a better future. This is the amazing, at times harrowing, simply astonishing story of a woman who would never give up, no matter the risks. Just as her words and deeds have inspired a nation, Until We Are Free will inspire you to find the courage to stand up for your beliefs. Advance praise for Until We Are Free Shirin Ebadi is quite simply the most vital voice for freedom and human rights in Iran. Reza Aslan, author of No god but God and Zealot Shirin Ebadi writes of exile hauntingly and speaks of Iran, her homeland, as the poets do. Ebadi is unafraid of addressing the personal as well as the political and does both fiercely, with introspection and fire. Fatima Bhutto, author of The Shadow of the Crescent Moon I would encourage all to read Dr. Shirin Ebadi s memoir and to understand how her struggle for human rights continued after winning the Nobel Peace Prize. It is also fascinating to see how she has been affected positively and negatively by her Nobel Prize. This is a must read for all. Desmond Tutu Ebadi s courage and strength of character are evident throughout this engrossing text, which illuminates the power the few have had over the many, particularly the women and children of Iran. The captivating and candid story of a woman who took on the Iranian government and survived, despite every attempt to make her fail. Kirkus Reviews Praise for Shirin Ebadi s Iran Awakening A] moving portrait of a life lived in truth. The New York Times Book Review A riveting account of a brave, lonely struggle . . . reads like a police thriller, its drama heightened by Ebadi s determination to keep up the quotidian aspects of her family life. The Washington Post Book World A must-read . . . may be the most important book you could read this year. Seattle Post-Intelligencer Ebadi] has risked her freedom and her life to defend democracy, free speech, and the rule of law. The Boston Globe.…