I received an ARC of this book from Ballantine Books via Net Galley. expected date of release is Feb 13, 2018.

One thing to remember when reading this, is that it is a tale of fiction. Based on Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzhad, this reads like a memoir. And that's not bad, I just had to remind myself that not all of these events were factual. Although so many of them I really hoped they were. While others, you wish they wouldn't happen to anyone.

Jasmin Darznik shows us that Forugh was a girl, later woman, who wanted to make her own way in the world, on her own terms, in a time and place that wants women to be neither seen nor heard.

From early on, Forugh wanted to be out playing and exploring the city like her brothers, instead she was confined to the house with her mother and sisters. Once, they had a lovely garden where they could pass their idle time in, but as the times changed, her father tore it out and replaced it with a sterile "modern" environment to match the mode of the day. The unintended consequence of this, was that it severely affected Forugh's mother, pushing her into a depressed state. As it was, Forugh was already at odds with her mother over her outward spirit.

This book gives us insight into what it was like for women growing up in the 1940/50's in Iran. Girls receive a minimal education, and they are groomed to be wife's of arranged marriages. Forugh never fit into that mold. It just wasn’t her.

This book covers the many instances throughout her life how she pushed these boundaries and lived her life. And it wasn’t without consequences. To chose her freedom, she leaves behind her family, and this happens repeatedly. First with her parents and sisters/brothers. And then again with her child.