Iran Awakening: One Woman's Journey to Reclaim Her Life and Country

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK - The first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize provides an eyewitness account of her stand at the crossroads of history in this moving and unforgettable memoir.

"Riveting . . . [Iran Awakening] sometimes reads like a police thriller, its drama heightened by [Shirin] Ebadi's determination to keep up the quotidian aspects of her family life."--The Washington Post Book World (Best Books of the Year)

"A testament to how a single, inspired voice can rise above the cacophony . . . the book should be required reading."--The Nation

In Iran Awakening, Dr. Shirin Ebadi recounts her public career and reveals her private self: her faith, her experiences, and her desire to lead a traditional life even while serving as a rebellious voice in a land where such voices are muted or brutally silenced.

Ebadi describes her girlhood in Tehran, her education, and her early professional success as Iran's most accomplished female jurist--until hardline clerics demoted her after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. She eventually fought her way back as a human rights lawyer, defending women and children in politically charged cases that most lawyers were afraid to represent.

In reading Ebadi's story, we come to see a devoted daughter, wife, and mother. Ebadi is an everywoman, albeit one who has braved imprisonment, harassment, and assassination attempts, all for the dream of a better Iran for her daughters and for generations to come. For her bravery and selflessness, she has been embraced as a national hero and as a key player in helping to forge Iran's destiny, whatever it may be.