The Californer - Writing and Madness in a Time of Terror by Afarin Majidi Awarded 4 out of 4 stars

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LOS ANGELES - Californer -- Writing and Madness in a Time of Terror by Afarin Majidi

Afarin Majidi should be thrilled with the direction her life is taking as she turns thirty. Instead, she is spiraling into the depths of madness. After colleagues at a magazine drug and rape her, she's left with an unfinished novel. She turns to a former professor, James Lasdun. Majidi is the woman he calls "Nasreen" in his memoir, Give Me Everything You Have.

The use of deadpan humor...was beautifully woven into the story, further enhancing my enjoyment of this poignant memoir...I'm glad to award Writing and Madness in a Time of Terror 4 out of 4 stars. -Online Book Club

This memoir portrays how gas lighting works in emotionally abusive relationships and how the victim shrinks over time. It's a very realistic look at how survivors are often serial survivors, especially in a culture that praises sadistic men. The emotional amnesia survivors suffer from is what makes this book resonate. -Fupping

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Writing and Madness in a Time of Terror is a glimpse into the mind of a woman swallowed whole by a crumbling state of mind after sexual trauma. The reader scrambles alongside her for a sense of hope that the nightmare will end. Here you will find a strong narrative account of victimization, the broken homes created in the face of crisis, and the hostile experience of marginalized women even in academia and especially the publishing world.-Pretty Progressive

"Beautifully written, this is a classic that rivals Girl Interrupted." - Improve Her Health

"Majidi's memoir doesn't end like a fairytale. Nobody swoops into her rescue. There are no trivializing and simplifying anecdotes regarding how everything gets better...Ultimately, Majidi rescues herself. Sometimes we must become our own saviors. The very act of her survival was an act of defiance." -Entropy

"A [girl] forced to flee Iran with her family ... bravely explores three explosive issues--mental illness, racism, and misogyny--with bracing candor ... Majidi provides an engrossing and timely look at the way women of color are doubly objectified, as exotic sexual quarry and as individuals worthy of contempt." -Kirkus Reviews

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This is a gritty, at times disturbing, and ultimately survivalist account by a brilliant woman & compelling writer. Ms. Majidi stands at a three-point threshold: a woman from an Islamic country with a mood disorder. Anyone who has known predators, especially white collar predators, will understand what this can mean. In a twist of life's spreadsheet, it may be these three elements that prompt the development of the resilience to get her through all of it. -Google Books