At the age of twenty, an Iranian student named Zarah Ghahramani was swept off a Tehran street and taken to the notorious Evin Prison, where criminals and political dissidents were held in conditions of legendary brutality - many never to reemerge. A desire for freedom as modest as sliding back her headscarf to feel the sun on her hair had compelled her to join a group of university students covertly organizing peaceful campus protests. Fueled by the fearless idealism of youth, and underestimating the severity of the fundamentalist regime running her country, Ghahramani found herself in serious trouble.In prison, Ghahramani was subjected to psychological and physical torture, forced to endure grueling interrogations and humiliations of escalating sadism. She held on to her sanity by scratching messages to fellow prisoners on the latrine door and escaping into memories of her childhood in a sprawling and affectionate family. Her tolerant, sheltered upbringing had not prepared her for the trials she would face in Evin. Alone in her tiny cell, Ghahramani befriended an unseen neighbor, a man half mad after a decade of imprisonment who told her stories through a shared vent, offering comfort and counsel that helped her survive.Affecting and wise, My Life as a Traitor charts Ghahramani's journey from the darkness of her first interrogation to the discovery of a strength she did not know she possessed. Her transformation from a naive Persian girl into a courageous and determined young activist is an inspiring testament to the power of resistance within us all. Read Less