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» Ebook Prisoner My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison Solitary Confinement a Sham Trial HighStakes Diplomacy and the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out Audible Audio Edition Jason Rezaian HarperAudio Books
By
Allen Berry on Thursday, June 6, 2019
Ebook Prisoner My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison Solitary Confinement a Sham Trial HighStakes Diplomacy and the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out Audible Audio Edition Jason Rezaian HarperAudio Books
Product details - Audible Audiobook
- Listening Length 9 hours and 34 minutes
- Program Type Audiobook
- Version Unabridged
- Publisher HarperAudio
- Audible.com Release Date January 22, 2019
- Whispersync for Voice Ready
- Language English, English
- ASIN B07L156G1D
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Prisoner My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison Solitary Confinement a Sham Trial HighStakes Diplomacy and the Extraordinary Efforts It Took to Get Me Out Audible Audio Edition Jason Rezaian HarperAudio Books Reviews
- Jason Rezaian's book offers a rare glimpse into Iran for any American since the 1970s. The book truly isn't what you might expect- it's far from simply an account of his time in Evin Prison. It captures the story of a first-generation young man, for the most part, has a very familiar story of so many growing up in America with an immigrant parent. He takes a chance on a country that seemed familiar until it inevitably turned its back on him. 'Prisoner' is thoughtful, at points comical, and more relatable than you think.
Jason's struggle is truly harrowing, but somehow he manages to maintain perspective and brings us along with him for both the ebbs and flows of his life and career. His account is brutally honest, which truly helps capture the raw emotion in every page. Whether you're a journalist, educator, or someone who appreciates great writing, 'Prisoner' will truly satisfy your needs to understand a culture mostly concealed to Americans. - When someone comes up to Jason Rezaian, throws their arm around him, and wants to hear all the juicy bits about how he underwent torture at the hands of his Iranian jailers, they are somewhat taken aback when they discover that he wasn't physically assaulted, but underwent trauma at an even deeper level of the soul. To such a person, it is not as vicariously thrilling. But to read this generous and at times humorous memoir is to experience what this man suffered for 18 months, not knowing whether he was going to walk free or undergo worse. And during the early part, suffering the anxiety of not knowing what Yegi, his wife, was facing since she had been arrested at the same time as he. It takes nothing away from the page-turning quality of this book to know that they both survived their ordeals and live in the United States. In fact, whole sections reduced me to tears. The continued efforts on the part of Yegi, his mother and brother Ali, as well as his Washington Post confederates, were instrumental in securing his release, but it is his spirit and his ability to find something to laugh at each and every day that has made his eventual healing possible.
As with most books written by reporters, the writing here is clear, sharp and to the point. Last night I had the privilege of seeing him in conversation with W. Kameau Bell, his wife and mother also in the room. His persona is one of gentle humorousness, intelligence, and makes me all the happier that things have turned out as they did for him. - Rezaian is a Washington Post reporter who got imprisoned in Iran (where he held dual citizenship) for the “crime†of reporting on public events. So did his wife, I guess for being his wife. Iran has a nasty habit of seizing hostages to use as bargaining chips. The book takes you through the story of his imprisonment and eventual release, and the friends (and enemies) he made in prison. There’s a good account (toward the end) of the Obama Administration’s reasoning and thinking in its Iran negotiations. What comes across is that Rezaian loves Iran’s people and feels deep sorrow for the way its oppressive government has betrayed them. A good read.
- When I saw Mr Rezaian on the news mentioning he wrote a book, I immediately downloaded it. The story is absorbing. Most Americans should remember the news stories about the WP journalists held in Iran at the end of Obama's tenure, but to read about the story from one of the prisoner's point of view is so important.
The book reads like a great story - And it is. I could not put it down. - Jason Rezaian will make you laugh out loud and bring you to tears in his book, “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 Outâ€.
Part thriller, part love story, Rezaian tells his real life story as a literal bargaining chip in negotiations for the Iran nuclear deal. What is even more impressive than his courage and strength throughout the whole story is his humor. “Project Avocadoâ€, “ Wolkswagons, Wolvos and BMVsâ€, “Jackie Chan monthâ€, “Espy†and “The Star-Spangled Banner†had me laughing through his nightmare in Evin Prison.
“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.â€
—John F. Kerry, 68th Secretary of State - Jason's experiences in Iran as a political prisoner are jaw-dropping thought-stimulating - it is difficult to imagine the overnight transition from being someone who enjoys thinking, writing and human interactions, to being locked up in solitary confinement with mental torture through interrogation. Jason writes in a very straightforward style, without being overly-detailed. Although I knew how the story was going to end, I was on the edge of my seat as Jason went through the Iranian court process. It was very gratifying when Jason and his wife & mother were able to 'escape' from Iran and return to the US, to restart their life.
- Rezaian pens a profoundly humanizing story, despite his captors continually trying to dehumanize him. This memoir reads like a fiction page-turner, partly because so few of us can relate to anything remotely like what he faced. Despite this hauntingly horrible reality he faced, Rezain’s magnanimity and wit seemed ever-present. Without trying to sound like a scmaltzy movie review, his is the ultimate triumph of the human spirit. (I finished it in two days, couldn’t put it down!)
- This is a book I could not put down. I cannot imagine myself in the situation Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian found himself, in an Iranian prison, for months on end, trying to preserve his sanity.
His story is at times both terrifying and funny. It is also a cautionary tale of the evils a theocracy can visit on its own people. But it's also a story of family love, something all of us share no matter the religion or culture in which we grew up.
I highly encourage you to read Jason's story. You'll also learn about the avocados.