Kooshyar Karimi Boeken

"Born in a slum, Kooshyar Karimi transformed himself into an award-winning writer as well as a successful doctor, whose conscience won't let him turn away the unmarried women who beg him to save their lives by ending pregnancies that would see them stoned to death. One of those women is Leila. She yearns to go to university, but her family forbids it. Kooshyar has rescued countless women, but Leila seeks his help for a different reason, one that will haunt him for years afterwards. Leila's Secret shows us everyday life for women in a country where it can be a crime to fall in love. For all its tragedy, this book is paradoxically uplifting, told from the heart of Kooshyar's immense sympathy."--Amazon.com

Kooshyar Karimi had two careers in Iran, one as a doctor and one as an award-winning translator. Until he was kidnapped by the Intelligence Service. Behind his professional success, Kooshyar was a rebel on several fronts. Marginalised since boyhood as a Jew in a fundamentalist Islamic state, he was a member of a political group that opposed the government. He'd also been using his medical skills illegally, to save unmarried pregnant women from death by stoning. Snatched from the street, he was jailed and tortured and then forced to spy for the regime, before finally escaping to Turkey. There he faced a whole new struggle to keep his family safe while awaiting refugee status from the UN. He was forbidden to work and at the mercy of corrupt police, con men and red tape. Then life became more dangerous still, when the Intelligence Service tracked him down and used his mother, back in Iran, as blackmail. Kooshyar's inspiring story of how he managed to forge a new life in Australia is heightened by his largeness of heart, strength of character, and insight into human behaviour, from the unfathomably evil to the selflessly kind. With the skill of a natural storyteller, Journey of a Thousand Storms recounts a life of endurance, compassion and gritty determination

The memoir vividly depicts the harsh realities of life in an Iranian slum, highlighting extreme poverty and the betrayals that arise even among family members. Born in dire circumstances, Karimi's relentless determination drives him to become a surgeon, a role that offers hope but also ensnares him in a perilous battle against the Iranian Intelligence Service. His gripping escape to Turkey marks the climax of his journey, as he confronts the haunting memories of his past while seeking redemption through his story.