Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison—Solitary Confinement, a Sham Trial, High-Stakes Diplomacy, and the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out
Written by Jason Rezaian
Narrated by Jason Rezaian
4/5
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About this audiobook
The dramatic memoir of the journalist who was held hostage in a high-security prison in Tehran for eighteen months and whose release—which almost didn’t happen—became a part of the Iran nuclear deal.
In July 2014, Washington Post Tehran bureau chief Jason Rezaian was arrested by Iranian police, accused of spying for America. The charges were absurd. Rezaian’s reporting was a mix of human interest stories and political analysis. He had even served as a guide for Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. Initially, Rezaian thought the whole thing was a terrible misunderstanding, but soon realized that it was much more dire as it became an eighteen-month prison stint with impossibly high diplomatic stakes.
While in prison, Rezaian had tireless advocates working on his behalf. His brother lobbied political heavyweights including John Kerry and Barack Obama and started a social media campaign—#FreeJason—while Jason’s wife navigated the red tape of the Iranian security apparatus, all while the courts used Rezaian as a bargaining chip in negotiations for the Iran nuclear deal.
In Prisoner, Rezaian writes of his exhausting interrogations and farcical trial. He also reflects on his idyllic childhood in Northern California and his bond with his Iranian father, a rug merchant; how his teacher Christopher Hitchens inspired him to pursue journalism; and his life-changing decision to move to Tehran, where his career took off and he met his wife. Written with wit, humor, and grace, Prisoner brings to life a fascinating, maddening culture in all its complexity.
“Jason paid a deep price in defense of journalism and his story proves that not everyone who defends freedom carries a gun, some carry a pen.”
—John F. Kerry, 68th Secretary of State
Jason Rezaian
Jason Rezaian served as Tehran bureau chief for the Washington Post and is now an opinion writer for the paper and contributor to CNN. He was convicted—but never sentenced—of espionage in a closed-door trial in Iran in 2015. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife.
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Reviews for Prisoner
31 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Incredible yet relatable. Rich in cultural context and hope. Excellently constructed and read.
1 person found this helpful
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Washington Post journalist, based in Iran, was taken prisoner by the government of Iran and held for 544 days. In this book he describes his experiences that included solitary confinement, numerous interrogations, denied due process and made part of a trial that was a joke at best. It is also the story of the numerous people in public and behind the scenes that ultimately obtained his release, thus allowing Rezaian and his wife to come to the United States, where they continue to reside. His story is especially compelling today when the current president refers to the press as the "enemy of the people" as it is an example of what a journalist is willing to endure in order to report the truth to the American people.