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

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 Ebadiâ€™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 husbandâ€”and he made a shocking confession that would all but destroy her familyâ€”that she realized what the intelligence apparatus was capable of to silence its critics. The Iranian government would end up taking everything from Shirin Ebadiâ€”her marriage, friends, and colleagues, her home, her legal career, even her Nobel Prizeâ€”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.

Praise for Until We Are Free

â€œEbadi recounts the cycle of sinister assaults she faced after she won the Nobel Prize in 2003. Her new memoir, written as a novel-like narrative, captures the precariousness of her situation and her determination to â€˜stand firm.â€™â€â€”The Washington Post

â€œPowerful . . . Although [Ebadiâ€™s] memoir underscores that a slow change will have to come from within Iran, it is also proof of the stunning effects of her nonviolent struggle on behalf of those who bravely, and at a very high cost, keep pushing for the most basic rights.â€â€”The New York Times Book Review

â€œShirin Ebadi is quite simply the most vital voice for freedom and human rights in Iran.â€â€”Reza Aslan, author of No god but God and Zealot

â€œShirin 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.â€â€”Fatima Bhutto, author of The Shadow of the Crescent Moon

â€œI would encourage all to read Dr. Shirin Ebadiâ€™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.â€â€”Desmond Tutu

â€œA revealing portrait of the state of political oppression in Iran . . . [Ebadi] is an inspiring figure, and her suspenseful, evocative story is unforgettable.â€â€”Publishers Weekly (starred review)

â€œEbadiâ€™s courage and strength of character are evident throughout this engrossing text.â€â€”Kirkus Reviews

From the Hardcover edition.
Country USA
Manufacturer Random House
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2016-03-08
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Random House
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2016-03-08
Format	Kindle eBook

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

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