From a daughter of Iranian revolutionaries, activists, immigrants,
refugees, and asylum seekers comes a gripping and emotional memoir of
family and the tumultuous history of two nations.
In 1979, Neda Toloui-Semnani's parents left the United States for Iran
to join the revolution. But the promise of those early heady days in
Tehran was warped by the rise of the Islamic Republic. With the new
regime came international isolation, cultural devastation, and profound
personal loss for Neda. Her father was arrested and her mother was
forced to make a desperate escape, pregnant and with Neda in tow.
Conflicted about her parents' choices for years, Neda realized that to
move forward, she had to face the past head-on. Through extensive
reporting, journals, and detailed interviews, Neda untangles decades of
history in a search for answers.
Both an epic family drama and a timely true-life political thriller,
They Said They Wanted Revolution illuminates the costs of righteous
activism across generations.