Rosewater

July 11, 2011
In this book, Newsweek correspondent and documentary filmmaker Bahari effectively and systematically details his time in Evin Prison in Tehran, and his interrogation by members of the Revolutionary Guards. Bahari was jailed in June 2009 following the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In poignant passages, Bahari draws parallels between his experiences and those of other family members. His father had been jailed under the Shah in the 1950s; his sister, Maryam, under Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1980s. Bahari relies on stories he heard from them, as well as their strength, to survive solitary confinement. He also describes his relationship with his fiancée, Paola, in London and the impending birth of their daughter. His great desire to reunite with them fuels his struggles in Iran, and gives this sympathetic read added urgency.