Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran

By Roxana Saberi

“Between Two Worlds is an extraordinary story of how an innocent young woman got caught up in the current of political events and met individuals whose stories vividly depict human rights violations in Iran.”
— Shirin Ebadi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize

Between Two World is the harrowing chronicle of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi’s imprisonment in Iran—as well as a penetrating look at Iran and its political tensions. Here for the first time is the full story of Saberi’s arrest and imprisonment, which drew international attention as a cause célèbre from Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and leaders across the globe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 30, 2010
• ISBN: 9780061987656

Reviews for Between Two Worlds

[jaylia3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After six years of living in Iran, the country of her father, while doing interviews and research for a book she planned to write Roxana Saberi was roused from sleep and hauled out of her apartment for hours and then days of unrelenting hostile questioning in January 2009. Charged with espionage, she spent more than 100 days in the notorious Evin prison, sometimes in solitary confinement and never with more than a blanket on the floor for a bed. Her interrogators pressured her to make false confessions, threatening her by saying she would never be freed and could be executed if she didn't "cooperate". After a while she decided to try going along with them, but the more she lied in an effort to placate them enough to secure her release the more they demanded. Roxana was deeply ashamed of the lies and worried about damage they might cause but in the most affecting part of the book she is able to regain feeling of control and self-respect after being inspired by the example of fellow prisoners--women who were locked up for their religious or political beliefs--to change her strategy and tell only the truth even in the most threatening circumstances. A hard to put down story.

[steadfastreader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book was fascinating. Written by the female journalist who was arrested and held in an Iranian prison for eight months. It gives a great overview of what it might be like to live as an American female in Iran and what the inside of an Iranian prison is like.

[jcwlib · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My focus shirted next to Iran. Roxana Saberi was held for 100 days in an Iranian prison. This book details her time in that prison and the women she met inside there. She was accused of being a spy and using her researching a book as a cover. Roxana makes a false confession under distress and ends up recanting that confession while in jail. She uses hunger strikes as a way to pressure her jailers on letting her go. She barely is able to talk to her lawyer as he prepares her defense. She realizes early on that she can't trust anything she is told. Eventually her parents and boyfriend - a native Iranian - make enough "noise" to get her released. I remember seeing the press release NPR and other news organizations wrote in support of her release come across my inbox last year. It was encouraging and motivating to see how a strong and smart woman was able to mentally survive this ordeal. Saberi mixes in stories about Iran's culture and historical events within her own story.

[khiemstra631 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

From the first few pages, I had hopes that this would be an outstanding book, but it rather quickly settled back into the "almost ordinary" category. Roxana Saberi, the author, lived in Iran for a number or years and was finally taken prisoner and accused of being a spy. She was held in solitary confinement for a time and was then moved into various cells with other women. She spent a total of 100 days in Evin Prison in Tehran. It was awhile before the Iranians let her notify her family that she was even there. I found the differences in the prison and court systems in Iran vs. the U.S. very interesting. Roxana's lawyers did next to nothing for her, rarely ever speaking during her trials. She had to present her own defense. One thing that I would have liked more elaboration on was the nature of her faith. The jacket blurb stated that it was a story of faith, but what faith she professes was never quite revealed. This is a good, informative read that made me want to stay as far away from Iran as possible. It confirmed the nuttiness of the powers-that-be there for me.