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Sign up todayA Sliver of Light
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Learn moreThree young Americans captured by Iranian forces and held in captivity for two years tell their story.
In summer 2009 Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal, and Sarah Shourd were hiking in Iraqi Kurdistan when they unknowingly crossed into Iran and were captured by a border patrol. Accused of espionage, the three Americans ultimately found themselves in Tehran's infamous Evin Prison, where they discovered that pooling their strength of will and relying on each other were the only ways they could survive.
In this poignant memoir, "the hikers" finally tell their side of the story. They recount the deception that lured them into Iran in the first place and describe the psychological torment of interrogation and solitary confinement. We follow them as they make surprising alliances with their fellow prisoners and even some of their captors, while their own bonds with each other are tested and deepened. Told through a bold and innovative interweaving of the authors' three voices, here is a rare glimpse inside Iran and a timeless portrayal of hardship and hope.
Shane Bauer won the New York Public Library’s Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism for his book American Prison. He is a senior reporter for Mother Jones and a recipient of the National Magazine Award for Best Reporting. His writing has appeared in the Nation, Salon, Los Angeles Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and the Christian Science Monitor. He has received the Hillman Prize for Magazine Journalism, the John Jay Award for Criminal Justice Reporting, and the Media for a Just Society Award. He is the co-author of a memoir, A Sliver of Light, which details his time spent as a prisoner in Iran.
Josh Fattal, a graduate of Berkeley’s program in environmental economics and policy, is an activist and organizer focused on sustainable development. He has spoken at universities, human rights conferences, and private events to describe the experience of imprisonment in Iran.
Sarah Shourd is a writer, educator, and contributing editor at Solitary Watch currently based in Oakland, California. Sarah has done international human rights work with the Zapatista indigenous movement in Chiapas, Mexico; organized with women’s groups against unsolved murders of sweatshop workers in Juarez, Mexico; and taught for the Iraqi Student Project while living in Damascus, Syria. After her wrongful imprisonment in Iran, Sarah has become an advocate for prisoners’ rights, focusing her writing, speaking, and theater projects on the widespread use of prolonged solitary confinement in US prisons and jails. She has written for the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, CNN, and Newsweek/Daily Beast, and contributes a blog to Huffington Post.
Michael Goldstrom is a Juilliard-trained actor and comedian. He has appeared on Comedy Central, HBO, A&E, NBC, and ABC, as well as on and off Broadway. His audiobook narrations have earned several Earphones Awards.
Julia Whelan is a novelist, screenwriter, lifelong actor, and multiple award-winning audiobook narrator. She graduated with a degree in English and creative writing from Middlebury College and Oxford University. She is a former child actor who has appeared in multiple films and television shows.
Tristan Morris is an Earphones Award–winning narrator. He received an MFA in acting from the New School for Drama in New York City after studying theater and philosophy at Pacific Lutheran University. His work as a voice actor began in 2011 after training with master teachers Scott Brick, Pat Fraley, and Nancy Wolfson. He works in New York City and Denver creating new theatrical works.
Reviews
“Riveting and necessary and illuminating.”
“A spellbinding tale…a triumph of writing born of a triumph of being.”
“It’s a testament to the willpower and discipline of the three captives that they maintained their values and sense of justice through their long ordeal.”
“The three remind the world how human, vulnerable, and terribly isolated they were during their months of incarceration…An unsugared account that demonstrates the admirable, unbreakable bond of friends, parents, and countrymen.”
“A richly written testament to love, survival, and the determination to make a difference in the world, whether behind bars or free.”
“Captivating…Writing in their three distinct voices and with no hint of bitterness—but with brutal honesty.”
“A compelling narration of a gripping account…The three narrators’ voices added depth to the book…The narrators’ Middle-Eastern accents were convincing and added a bit of personality and humor to the different guards. A worthy listen given ongoing tensions in the Middle East. It’s best to be aware.”
“Riveting…Each of the authors has his or her own narrator. Michael Goldstrom, as Shane, has a strong, deep, nasal-infused voice that reflects the romanticism inherent in the trek the three set out on. Tristan Morris, as Josh, has a slightly higher, though similarly nasal, pitch. He conveys the wonderment of the adventure, reading more hurriedly but with sincerity and composure. Julia Whelan, as Sarah, has the most serious voice and the narrowest range, but she’s the most effective in voicing the fear and foreboding in the hikers’ story. The book is both a political and psychological story, and succeeds on both levels.”
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