Kamin Mohammadi fled Iran aged 9 in 1979, at the time of the revolution. She didn't return for 17 years, despite having an extended family remaining in the country. This talk and her book, the Cypress Tree (http://www.bloomsbury.com/Cypress-Tree/Kamin-Mohammadi/books/details/9780747591528) are about her gradual reconciliation with and appreciation of her country of heritage. Told through the medium of a personal history covering three generations of her family, Kamin explores what the revolution and her subsequent exile meant to her, and reflects on the process of getting comfortable, after many years of denial and rejection, with her Iranian identity. Her description of her rage, shame and anger as a teenager were particularly resonant and compelling for me. I agreed wholeheartedly when in a conversation at the end of the event about reconciliation with home country she said, "it feels so good, doesn't it?".The Frontline Club deserves a mention all of its own. This wonderful NGO upholding freedom of expression and excellence in independent journalism invariably puts on a fascinating schedule of events in comfortable and stylish surroundings - see http://www.frontlineclub.com/events/. Anyone can go.
SB
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