In WE HEARD THE HEAVENS THEN: A Memoir of Aria Minu-Sepehr shares his firsthand account of the Iranian Revolution, exquisitely drawn from childhood and enhanced by his adult perspective. This exceptional memoir about the clash of modernity and religion in Iran, weaves together an intimate father/son relationship with the story of an ominously shifting political backdrop, offering a poignant and piercing look at revolution through the wide open eyes of a child.
As the son of a high-ranking general in the Shah’s Imperial Iranian Air Force, Aria Minu-Sepehr was raised in a sheltered world of extraordinary privilege. But when King Reza Kahn, who started and fostered a program of modernity in Iran, was overthrown and the Ayatollah rose to power in 1979, Aria’s privileged boyhood skidded to a halt. The product of an affluent, modern, and cosmopolitan upbringing, Aria and his family’s way of life were precisely what was being rejected by the revolution. His life became a terrifying waiting game—waiting to see if soldiers would invade his home, waiting to see if his family would have to flee, waiting to find out if his father would come home alive each night. Aria’s childhood worries about school exams and making mischief at home were quickly replaced by the terror that his father could be publicly assassinated, that he himself could be kidnapped, and the very real possibility that his family would not be allowed to leave the country alive. Thus, with little warning, Aria was forced into a new world: one without his father, without his family and friends, without any of the structures that have come to represent the rules by which he lived.
WE HEARD THE HEAVENS THEN is the deeply moving story of a boy growing up faster than any child should. The story is enriched by Aria’s adult perspective, privy to serious study of the events that shaped his youth, which brings light to the national drama that shaped his life. A gorgeously written story about the bond between a father and a son imperiled by a nation’s ominous and radically changing political climate, WE HEARD THE HEAVENS THEN is a timely and necessary look into Iran’s history at the moment when America went from being revered to rejected.
About the Author:
Aria Minu-Sepehr moved with his family to the United States following the fall of the shah of Iran in 1979. He is an adjunct professor of English, founder of Forum for Middle East Awareness, and a public lecturer in fields related to Iran and the Middle East. He lives in Oregon with his wife and two daughters.
My Take on the Book
This was a truly emotional tale that takes you in from the beginning to the end! The characters are intriguing and you will come to find that you will want to keep reading to find out what happens as time passes in the book. There is so much action, intrigue and suspense in the book that will keep you connected to the overall book. I was completely entranced by the story and plot and you will continue to say to yourself, I cannot believe this really happened (or at least I did)! This was a great story that all should read!
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