Not Without My Daughter

'You are here for the rest of your life. Do you understand? You are not leaving Iran. You are here until you die.' Betty Mahmoody and her husband, Dr Sayyed Bozorg Mahmoody ('Moody'), came to Iran from the USA to meet Moody's family. With them was their four-year-old daughter, Mahtob. Appalled by the squalor of their living conditions, horrified by what she saw of a country where women are merely chattels and Westerners are despised, Betty soon became desperate to return to the States. But Moody, and his often vicious family, had other plans. Mother and daughter became prisoners of an alien culture, hostages of an increasingly tyrannical and violent man. Betty began to try to arrange an escape. Evading Moody's sinister spy network, she secretly met sympathisers opposed to Khomeini's savage regime. But every scheme that was suggested to her meant leaving Mahtob behind for ever... Eventually, Betty was given the name of a man who would plan their perilous route out of Iran, a journey that few women or children had ever made. Their nightmare attempt to return home began in a bewildering snowstorm... Imagine yourself alone and vulnerable, trapped by a husband you thought you trusted, and held prisoner in his native Iran; a land where women have no rights and Americans are despised. For one American woman, Betty Mahmoody, this nightmare became reality, and escape became only an impossible dream. Not Without My Daughter is the true story of one woman's desperate struggle to survive and to escape with her daughter from an alien and frightening culture. Betty had married the Americanized Dr. Sayed Bozorg Mahmoody in 1977. His interest in his homeland had been revived since Khomeini's takeover, and he had increasingly expressed his desire to introduce his five-year-old daughter Mahtob and his American wife to his beloved family in Tehran. Betty and her daughter anxiously awaited the end of their vacation in this hostile land, but the end never came--Moody had other plans for his family. Betty and Mahtob became virtual hostages of Betty's tyrannical husband and his often vicious family. Hiding her secret meetings from her husband and his large network of spies, a desperate Betty began to plan her escape. But every option involved leaving Mahtob behind, abandoning her to Moody and a life of near-slavery and degradation. After a harsh and terrifying year, Betty discovered a ray of hope--a man would guide them across the mountain range that forms the border between Iran and Turkey. One dark night, Betty and Mahtob escaped and began the long journey home to Michigan, but first they had to survive a crossing that few women or children have ever made. In this gripping, true story, Betty Mahmoody tells her tale of faith, courage, and constant hope in the face of incredible adversity. Breathlessly exciting, Not Without My Daughter is a rivoting true adventure that grips its readers from the very first page. ---------- Also contained in: - [Reader's Digest Condensed Books. Volume 1. 1988](https://openlibrary.org/works/OL15398159W/Reader's_Digest_Condensed_Books._Volume_1._1988) Betty Mahmoody and her husband, Dr. Sayyed Bozorg Mahmoody ("Moody"), came to Iran from the USA to meet Moody's family. With them was their four-year-old daughter, Mahtob. Appalled by the wqualor of their living conditions, horrified by what she saw of a country where women are merely chattels and Westerners are despised, Betty soon became desperate to return to the States. But Moody, and his often vicious family, had other plans. Mother and daughter became prisoners of an alien culture, hostages of an increasingly tyrannical and violent man... -- Back cover An Iranian doctor living in America with his American wife Betty and their child Mahtob wants to see his homeland again. He convinces his wife to take a short holiday there with him and Mahtob. Betty is reluctant, as Iran is not a pleasant place, especially if you are American and female. Upon arrival in Iran, it appears that her worst fears are realized: Moody declares that they will be living there from now on. Betty is determined to escape from Iran, but taking her daughter with her presents a larger problem In August 1984, Michigan housewife Betty Mahmoody accompanied her husband to his native Iran for a two-week vacation that turned into a permanent stay. To her horror, she found herself and her four-year-old daughter, Mahtob, virtual prisoners of a man rededicated to his Shiite Moslem faith, in a land where women are near-slaves and Americans despised. Their only hope for escape lay in a dangerous underground that would not take her child. The author and her husband came to Iran from the USA to meet her husband's family. With them was their four-year-old daughter, Mahtob. Betty soon became desperate to return to the States but her husband and his family had other plans. This is the true story of one woman's struggle to keep her child and win freedom for them both My daughter dozed in her seat next to the window of a British Airways jetliner, her red-brown curls encircling her face, tumbling haphazardly below her shoulders. The true story of Betty Mahmoody's desperate struggle to survive and to escape with her daughter from the alien and frightening culture of Iran