My Name is Mahtob by Mahtob Mahmoody

Goodreads Summary

The daughter at the center of the international bestseller and film Not Without My Daughter finishes the story that captivated the world: held hostage in Iran, escape over the mountains, growing up in fear of kidnapping, battling deadly disease, and leaning on the sustaining power of God’s goodness.

Two decades ago, Not Without My Daughter (a global phenomenon made into a film starring Sally Field) told of the daring escape of an American mother and her six-year-old child from an abusive and fanatical Iranian husband and father.  Now the daughter tells the whole story, not only of her imprisonment and escape but of life after fleeing Iran: living in fear of re-abduction, battling recurring nightmares and panic attacks – all under the menacing shadow of her father.

This is the story of an extraordinary young woman’s triumph over life-crushing trauma to build a life of peace and forgiveness.  Moving from Michigan to Tehran, from Ankara to Paris, Mahtob reveals the profound resilience of a wounded soul healed by her faith in God’s goodness and his care and love for her.

My Thoughts

My Name is Mahtob is a companion book to Not Without My Daughter.  Mahtob Mahmoody shares her experiences in her own words.  She writes about her feelings, thoughts, and experiences while being held captive in Iran and even afterwards when she made it home.

I actually haven’t read or watched Not Without My Daughter but that didn’t make My Name is Mahtob any less interesting.  I enjoyed reading this book and I definitely plan on reading and watching Not Without My Daughter now.

I do have to say that after about the first half of the book it got pretty slow.  It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t quite as interesting as the first half of the book.  It got a little confusing at times because it wasn’t necessarily in chronological order.

Mahtob Mahmoody did discuss her faith but not to an extent that it was overly religious toward any certain religion.  She is Lutheran but this book isn’t offensive to readers of any religion.  It is just an autobiography of her life and faith and it is a lovely book.

*Note: I received a copy of this book from BookLook Bloggers in exchange for an honest review.

 

Carrie Kurtz is a full-time mom and wife who can’t help but make time to explore new worlds in between carpooling and laundry loads. She’s trying to encourage a similar obsession with reading in her two children, and she’s grateful her husband supports her habit. She can be found at Carrie K’s Book Reviews.