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NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY JON STEWART | Previously published as Then They Came for Me When Maziar Bahari left London in June 2009 to cover Iran’s presidential election, he assured his pregnant fiancée, Paola, that he’d be back in just a few days, a week at most. Little did he know, as he kissed her good-bye, that he would spend the next three months in Iran’s most notorious prison, enduring brutal interrogation sessions at the hands of a man he knew only by his smell: Rosewater.   For the Bahari family, wars, coups, and revolutions are not distant concepts but intimate realities they have suffered for generations: Maziar’s father was imprisoned by the shah in the 1950s, and his sister by Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1980s. Alone in his cell at Evin Prison, fearing the worst, Maziar draws strength from his memories of the courage of his father and sister in the face of torture, and hears their voices speaking to him across the years. He dreams of being with Paola in London, and imagines all that she and his rambunctious, resilient eighty-four-year-old mother must be doing to campaign for his release. During the worst of his encounters with Rosewater, he silently repeats the names of his loved ones, calling on their strength and love to protect him and praying he will be released in time for the birth of his first child.   A riveting, heart-wrenching memoir, Rosewater offers insight into the past seventy years of regime change in Iran, as well as the future of a country where the democratic impulses of the youth continually clash with a government that becomes more totalitarian with each passing day. An intimate and fascinating account of contemporary Iran, it is also the moving and wonderfully written story of one family’s extraordinary courage in the face of repression.   “I really connected to Maziar’s story. It’s a personal story but one with universal appeal about what it means to be free.”—Jon Stewart   “An important and elegant book . . . a prison memoir enlarged into a family history.”—The New Republic   “Clear and compelling . . . engaging and informative—a gripping tribute to human dedication and a cogent indictment of a corrupt regime.”—Washington Independent Review of Books   “[Rosewater] is not only a fascinating, human exploration into Bahari’s personal experience . . . it also provides insight into the shared experience of those affected by repressive governments everywhere.”—Mother Jones “A damning account . . . [Rosewater] turns a lens not only on Iran’s surreal justice system but on the history and culture that helped produce it.”—The Washington Post   “[Rosewater] is a unique achievement. It is a story not just of political cruelty (a subject Bahari treats movingly), but also about the two poles of Iranian political culture, bent together in upheaval.”—The Guardian (UK)   “A beautifully written account of life in Iran, filled with insights not only into the power struggles and political machinations but into the personal, emotional lives of the people living in that complicated country. Maziar Bahari is a brave man and a wonderful storyteller.”—Fareed Zakaria

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“I really connected to Maziar’s story. It’s a personal story but one with universal appeal about what it means to be free.”—Jon Stewart   “An important and elegant book . . . a prison memoir enlarged into a family history.”—The New Republic   “Clear and compelling . . . engaging and informative—a gripping tribute to human dedication and a cogent indictment of a corrupt regime.”—Washington Independent Review of Books   “Then They Came for Me is not only a fascinating, human exploration into Bahari’s personal experience . . . it also provides insight into the shared experience of those affected by repressive governments everywhere.”—Mother Jones   “A damning account . . . Then They Came For Me turns a lens not only on Iran’s surreal justice system but on the history and culture that helped produce it.”—The Washington Post   “Then They Came for Me is a unique achievement. It is a story not just of political cruelty (a subject Bahari treats movingly), but also about the two poles of Iranian political culture, bent together in upheaval.”—The Guardian (UK)   “A beautifully written account of life in Iran, filled with insights not only into the power struggles and political machinations but into the personal, emotional lives of the people living in that complicated country. Maziar Bahari is a brave man and a wonderful storyteller.”—Fareed Zakaria “Then They Came for Me is the story of those who fight to inform and enlighten their society. Fortunately, Iran is not only a country of Ahmadinejads and mullahs; the country is also blessed with plenty of Maziar Baharis.”—Shirin Ebadi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize

I really connected to Maziar's story. It's a personal story but one with universal appeal about what it means to be free. --Jon Stewart An important and elegant book . . . a prison memoir enlarged into a family history. -- The New Republic Clear and compelling . . . engaging and informative--a gripping tribute to human dedication and a cogent indictment of a corrupt regime. -- Washington Independent Review of Books Then They Came for Me is not only a fascinating, human exploration into Bahari's personal experience . . . it also provides insight into the shared experience of those affected by repressive governments everywhere. -- Mother Jones A damning account . . . Then They Came For Me turns a lens not only on Iran's surreal justice system but on the history and culture that helped produce it. -- The Washington Post Then They Came for Me is a unique achievement. It is a story not just of political cruelty (a subject Bahari treats movingly), but also about the two poles of Iranian political culture, bent together in upheaval. -- The Guardian (UK) A beautifully written account of life in Iran, filled with insights not only into the power struggles and political machinations but into the personal, emotional lives of the people living in that complicated country. Maziar Bahari is a brave man and a wonderful storyteller. --Fareed Zakaria Then They Came for Me is the story of those who fight to inform and enlighten their society. Fortunately, Iran is not only a country of Ahmadinejads and mullahs; the country is also blessed with plenty of Maziar Baharis. --Shirin Ebadi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize From the Hardcover edition.

I really connected to Maziar's story. It's a personal story but one with universal appeal about what it means to be free. --Jon Stewart An important and elegant book . . . a prison memoir enlarged into a family history. -- The New Republic Clear and compelling . . . engaging and informative--a gripping tribute to human dedication and a cogent indictment of a corrupt regime. -- Washington Independent Review of Books Then They Came for Me is not only a fascinating, human exploration into Bahari's personal experience . . . it also provides insight into the shared experience of those affected by repressive governments everywhere. -- Mother Jones A damning account . . . Then They Came For Me turns a lens not only on Iran's surreal justice system but on the history and culture that helped produce it. -- The Washington Post Then They Came for Me is a unique achievement. It is a story not just of political cruelty (a subject Bahari treats movingly), but also about the two poles of Iranian political culture, bent together in upheaval. -- The Guardian (UK) A beautifully written account of life in Iran, filled with insights not only into the power struggles and political machinations but into the personal, emotional lives of the people living in that complicated country. Maziar Bahari is a brave man and a wonderful storyteller. --Fareed Zakaria Then They Came for Me is the story of those who fight to inform and enlighten their society. Fortunately, Iran is not only a country of Ahmadinejads and mullahs; the country is also blessed with plenty of Maziar Baharis. --Shirin Ebadi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize From the Hardcover edition. I really connected to Maziar's story. It is a personal story but one with universal appeal about what it means to be free. --JON STEWART An important and elegant book...a prison memoir enlarged into a family history--an Iranian family that is middle-class in income, traditionally leftist in politics, with more than their fair share of defiantly determined and erudite women. -- The New Republic Clear and compelling...engaging and informative -- a gripping tribute to human dedication and a cogent indictment of a corrupt regime. -- The Washington Independent Review of Books Poignant...Bahari draws parallels between his experiences [in prison] 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...His great desire to reunite with [his fiancee, pregnant with their first daughter]...gives this sympathetic read added urgency. -- Publishers Weekly A damning account of a nation run by paranoid, sexually frustrated conspiracy theorists... Then They Came For Me turns a lens not only on Iran's surreal justice system but on the history and culture that helped produce it. -- The Washington Post Then They Came for Me is a unique achievement. It is a story not just of political cruelty (a subject Bahari treats movingly), but also about the two poles of Iranian political culture, bent together in upheaval. -- The Guardian (UK) A beautifully written account of life in Iran, filled with insights not only into the power struggles and political machinations but into the personal, emotional lives of the people living in that complicated country. Maziar Bahari is a brave man and a wonderful storyteller. --FAREED ZAKARIA Then They Came for Me is the story of those who fight to inform A beautifully written account of life in Iran, filled with insights not only into the power struggles and political machinations but into the personal, emotional lives of the people living in that complicated country. Maziar Bahari is a brave man and a wonderful storyteller. --Fareed Zakaria, author of The Post-American World Maziar Bahari is a visionary reporter, a deep soul, and a breathtakingly beautiful writer. Then They Came for Me will have you aching for the ones you love, furious at the evil of extremism, and inspired by the heroism of one extraordinary family. I can't recommend this book highly enough - it will forever change how you view Iran, your family, and your own capacity for resilience. --Bruce Feiler, author of Walking the Bible and The Council of Dads A riveting, brutally honest account, Then They Came for Me is one of the most powerful prison memoirs I have ever read. This haunting and unforgettable book will make you angry a Advance praise for Then They Came for Me Maziar Bahari is a visionary reporter, a deep soul, and a breathtakingly beautiful writer. Then They Came for Me will have you aching for the ones you love, furious at the evil of extremism, and inspired by the heroism of one extraordinary family. I can't recommend this book highly enough - it will forever change how you view Iran, your family, and your own capacity for resilience. --Bruce Feiler, bestselling author of Walking the Bible and The Council of Dads A riveting, brutally honest account, Then They Came for Me is one of the most powerful prison diaries I have read. It will make you angry at the prison that is today's Iran, and happy that a fine journalist like Maziar Bahari escaped to tell the truth about the regime. This book is haunting and unforgettable. --David Ignatius, author of Body of Lies Maziar Bahari's story is at once political and personal, and this account of his family's journeya Advance praise for Maziar Bahari's Then They Came for Me Maziar Bahari is a visionary reporter, a deep soul, and a breathtakingly beautiful writer. Then They Came for Me will have you aching for the ones you love, furious at the evil of extremism, and inspired by the heroism of one extraordinary family. I can't recommend this book highly enough - it will forever change how you view Iran, your family, and your own capacity for resilience. --Bruce Feiler, New York Times bestselling author of Walking the Bible and Abraham

Author Information

Maziar Bahari is an award-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker, and human-rights activist. A correspondent for Newsweek from 1998 to 2010, he was born in Tehran, Iran, and immigrated to Canada in 1988 to pursue his studies in film and political science. Bahari’s documentaries have been broadcast on stations around the world, including HBO, the BBC, and the Discovery Channel. In 2009, he was named a finalist for Spain’s Prince of Asturias Award for Concord, often described as Spain’s Nobel Peace Prize; he was nominated by Desmond Tutu. He lives in London with his wife and daughter.   Aimee Molloy is the co-author of three previous books: Jantsen’s Gift with Pam Cope; This Moment on Earth with Senator John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry; and For God and Country with James Yee. She also served as an editor of Laurie Strongin’s Saving Henry. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband.

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