Leilas Secret by Kooshyar Karimi

Leilas Secret Reviews

• 
  Simone

  When I first started reading this book I thought it was a work of fiction (albeit based on factual details about Iranian society). It wasn't until I researched the author a little further that I realised it was in fact a memoir based on Kooshyar Karimi's real experiences as a doctor in fundamentalist Iran in the 1980s and 1990s. The main reason I thought it was fiction was because it is told in two voices, that of Dr Karimi and a young woman named Leila. Dr Karimi has written both parts but gives an authentic voice to Leila given that he knew her story so intimately.
  
  Most of us have knowledge of fundamentalist Iran and the severe restrictions it places on women. Still it is difficult to fathom just what a different life I would lead had I been born there. Simple everyday things such as the right to a full, unbiased education, the freedom to move away from my family home and experience any lifestyle I desired and ultimately being able to choose my own life partner (or not should I not find one I loved enough to marry). Most frighteningly though should I have ever found myself pregnant outside marriage I would have faced the possibility of being stoned to death for the sin of bringing shame to my family.
  
  Kooshyar himself suffered many injustices in his life as the son of a Jewish single mother in a Muslim country and had to jump many hurdles to ultimately complete a medical degree. He did not set out to become an illegal abortionist, but the job somehow found him through first one acquaintance, then another and another as his name was passed around to others desperate enough to seek his services. In each case Kooshyar is told it is a matter of life and death. Should the young unmarried woman in question not undergo an abortion she will have no other choice than to kill herself. Each abortion is fraught with risk and not only because the procedure itself is illegal. Kooshyar can only undertake the operation in private homes, far from medical equipment should it be required. Many times he is unsure whether or not his patient will survive.
  
  Leila is a young woman severely frustrated with her life. Forbidden from studying to become a teacher like she dreams of, she snatches small pockets of freedom by visiting the library. It is during one of those brief unsupervised excursions that she meets a handsome shopkeeper who ignites a passion in Leila that she never knew existed. This liaison sets Leila on a treacherous path that ultimately sees her meeting Kooshyar, but for a different reason that touches the young doctor deeply and ultimately changes his life.
  
  Leila's Secret is an amazing story, as equally compelling as it is unfathomable (that this could happen in the late twentieth century). Kooshyar Karimi is a natural storyteller with a very easy to read style, despite the difficult subject matter. I immediately found myself fully invested in both stories, knowing that they must intersect at some point but surprised in the way they ultimately did. The book shines a light on a way in which women and their bodies have (and continue) to be abused and controlled, yet also demonstrates that good people exist everywhere and will put themselves at risk to help others.
• 
  Jenny

  Beautifully written, despite my initial misgivings about the book's cover (yet another dramatically veiled woman, because hey, that sells well in the West). Dr. Karimi and Leila's story is one that needs to be heard.
  
  Context
  Note, however, that their story needs to be heard in context. We're talking predominantly about impoverished areas in the 1990s where people's survival revolved around violence, inflicted either by the authoritarian government or by those in their own communities -- a grim situation that is unfortunately found throughout the world. My fear, though, is that some people will read this book and blanket-blame the Iranian people, or Shia Islam in particular, or Islam in general. Such generalizations are superficial and counterproductive, and I believe they go against the author's intentions.
  
  Forgiveness and Tolerance
  I liked what Dr. Karimi wrote in his Author's Note at the beginning of the book: "I have written this book in the hope that one day we will start tolerating and stop tormenting; in the belief that if we learn to forgive, freedom will come." After all he's been through, he still chooses to believe in sentiments like that, and I admire him for it. He knows that effective reform isn't achieved through hatred.
  
  Health of the Imagination
  One aspect of this book that surprised me was its insight into the imagination. For some people, like Azita, the rigidness of their lives blunted their creativity to the point where they could not change, because "if you want to do something that takes you away from the customary role our culture dictates, you have to first be able to imagine it. And Azita [and people like her] cannot." Meanwhile, other people, like Hamid, were driven mad by their imaginations, which had been repressed until they reached the breaking point. It really makes you wonder about the state of your own mind and what your own cultural blindspots are.
  
  In Search of Women's Voices
  I also wondered how different the book would be if Leila could tell her story in her own words. What would she choose to emphasize? How would our understanding of the characters change? I ask because once again, we're not hearing from women directly. Doing that isn't possible in this case, I guess, but it's worth remembering that in a book filled with women, not one speaks directly for herself; they all speak through the filter of Dr. Karimi's memories.
  
  Overall, this book is a heartfelt contribution to the greater human rights narrative, and it's well worth the read.
• 
  Jess Dumitro

  This book gets better and more intense as you read on. It really opened my mind to other cultures in this world. Was a great read and I finished the last half of the book in a day because I couldn't put it down.
• 
  Kirra

  An absolutely amazing story that had me in tears. An excellent non fiction read that has really made me appreciate living in Australia.
• 
  Abc

  Una storia vera che ci porta nel cuore dell'Iran e ci fa capire come ancora oggi siano costrette a vivere le donne, private di ogni tipo di libertà e completamente sottomesse agli uomini.
  Il libro è formato da capitoli in cui alternativamente viene raccontata la storia del dottor Karimi e quella di Leila.
  L'autore è un medico che pratica clandestinamente gli aborti e, all'occorrenza, la ricostruzione dell'imene per salvare le donne dalla lapidazione. Questo è infatti il destino per una donna che sia stata toccata da un uomo, indipendentemente dal fatto che sia stata stuprata o meno. In Iran una donna che non sia più vergine senza essere sposata non merita di continuare a vivere e va lapidata pubblicamente in modo da dissuadere altre donne dal commettere azioni "immorali".
  Praticare un aborto ovviamente non è privo di conseguenze per un medico che, a sua volta, rischia la vita sua e della sua famiglia.
  D'altra parte Karimi ripete più volte nel corso del libro che si sente in dovere di prestare questo tipo di aiuto alle donne per preservarne la vita.
  I capitoli dedicati a Leila, invece, ci raccontano di una ragazza ormai ventiduenne segregata in casa e costretta a chiedere il permesso anche semplicemente per andare in biblioteca.
  Una ragazza che cresce in una situazione del genere non può che essere estremamente ingenua e non può che nutrire un forte desiderio di essere amata. Proprio per questo, appena incontra un uomo interessato a lei e apparentemente gentile, crede ciecamente alle sue dolci parole e accade l'inevitabile.
  Questa lettura mi ha suscitato molta rabbia e mi ha fatto riflettere sul fatto che non ragioniamo mai abbastanza sulle violenze e le privazioni che le donne sono costrette a subire in certe parti del mondo.
• 
  Alessandro Argenti

  Mi è piaciuto un sacco, una storia vera anche se l'argomento è piuttosto inflazionato; raccontata con tatto e precisione, con sentimento e coraggio. Nessuna retorica e pochi giudizi morali, come d'altronde mi aspetto che sia.
• 
  Karene Atkinson

  This book was a page turner and very hard to put down. The reader is drawn into the lives of the doctor and the young woman Leila. We are made aware of the complex and unfair system that chain women to a life that most do not want, with no voice to say no, I want more, I want to be heard, I want to be of value. Then when the last page is reached, the reader is left wanting more. A great book.
• 
  Jamie

  A powerful and important story.
  
  It took a while to get into the story, with the most intriguing part in the last 70 or so pages. I also found the doctor’s chapters, while still informative and important, rather repetitive to the point where even most of the starting sentences were similar (it was a hot June/July/summer day).
  
  However, I did enjoy Leila’s chapters a lot. There were almost always new events or a feeling of tension created. The chapters from her perspective really pulled the book together.
  
  Overall, while I thought it could’ve been pared down a bit, I would highly recommend reading it.
• 
  Vanessa Mozayani

  When I selected this book, I thought it was a work of fiction. This book tells of the life of the author who was a doctor whilst living in Iran. It is written like a work of fiction with alternating chapters of the Doctor and Leila. It was terrifying and heartbreaking.
• 
  Moniii

  Islamski fundamentalizm, trudna sytuacja kobiet w Iranie... Wiele już na ten temat słyszałam i czytałam, ale mimo to przedstawione w książce historie głęboko mnie poruszyły, a nawet przeraziły. Opis ukamieniowania, całkowita zależność kobiety od mężczyzny (nie tylko żony od męża, ale także siostry od brata), brak jakiejkolwiek swobody w kształtowaniu swojego życia. I to wszystko w drugiej połowie lat 90-tych XX wieku, bo właśnie wtedy toczy się akcja książki. W ostatnim czasie Iran nieco otworzył się na świat, w dużych miastach widać "wyzwolone" dziewczyny w kolorowych szalach na głowie, które tylko w 1/3 zakrywają włosy. Ale na prowincji nadal każda kobieta ubrana jest w czarny czador, a za szczelnie zamkniętymi drzwiami irańskich domów dzieją się historie takie jak te, przedstawione przez doktora Karima.
• 
  Dania

  2.75
  Ho l’impressione che questo libro voglia essere femminista, ma lo fa attraverso lo sguardo di un uomo borioso ed autocelebrativo (come fin troppi iraniani).
  E lo stile della prosa non aiuta.
• 
  Tiahna Junakovic

  Heartbreaking.
• 
  Paul

  When it comes to this book I would be hard pressed to say it is an enjoyable read. It is however worthy of our time and patience. This for me is one of those books that expand our knowledge of the world we live in on a subject matter there is no other way I could have come across. There are certain fundamental rights that we so take for grant that it is hard to imagine a world without them. But as recent events in the U.S have shown us they can so easily be taken away. One of these I would hope for is the right for a women over her own body. But as I delved into this book It becomes apparent very quickly that this is something a lot of women in Iran at the time of this books writing don't have. I can't say if it is any different know as there is little places to go looking for this information. It is also a world of double standards which I think is something that does have a coloration to the place I call home. Why is it that a woman must remain a virgin to her wedding night but not so for the man.
  
  
  
  This book was one of the hardest I have read in quite a while. At no point did I feel I was being sugar-coated. This becomes all too apparent in the first few chapters as we are introduced to the doctor. He describes in no uncertain terms what it is like to have an abortion in Iran. It is painful to read let alone go through. It feels just as relevant now as it was at the time of writing. The events described in the book may have taken place in the past but it still proves one thing. If you ban abortion it will not stop it happening it just pushes it deeper underground. The doctor for his part does all he can for each of the women who come knocking at his door. He is a man who cares deeply for the situation each of them finds themselves in but with the threat of death over his head and each of these women, it is a hard struggle to go through.
  
  
  
  But this is a book of two halves and it would hardly be fair to only speak of the doctor when the book bears another's name as it's title. Leila is someone who is full of her own secrets and the weight she carries is one I can't begin to comprehend. It is through her that we get to learn of the life of women under such a strict regime. They have no rights, and freedom is taken away from them at birth. They are brought up with the expectation that they will be good and faithful wives, no more no less. Any thoughts of making more of themselves is cast aside. And while some have fought for a better place in their world they would appear to be few and far between. And they are left to lead a careful life so as not to step too far out of line. Sometimes I think we forget just how much freedom we have.
  
  
  
  This book will not be for everyone, It is not the sort of thing you can read in just one sitting. I put it down more times than I can count so as I could process the things I was reading about. But it is enlightening. It gives us some insight into the struggle of women around the world and that there is still a fight that continues. For some the will not agree with what the doctor does on religious or moral grounds. The thought of abortion for them is abhorrent. But as time has tried to tell us time and again this will happen and it will continue to. So surely it is better than it is done safely. These are two people I have the greatest respect for, the insurmountable odds they went through should not be taken lightly.
• 
  Joanne

  I Saw Dr. Karimi on the Adelaide Writers Week early this year. His story moves me, his humbleness inspire me. If what i thought i experienced on his sessions on ADLWW, it is just a start. reading of this book brings things to new prospective. This is a true story, or stories of Iranian girls, ladies, and women that have unwanted pregnancy through love, luss, or mostly, through the power and domination of men. It is a storry on how an inocent 22 years old girl Leila falls in love with a man, and how she end up being rape by this man, and fall pregnantt before marriage. It is also a story about strength, hope, and how unconditional a mother's love can be for their child. It is a story about the conflicting ethical world of Dr. Karimi as a medical profession, and a husband and father. and how the constent fight within him, to him and his family to stay safe, as termination of pregnancy is a no-no in Iran, even till this very day. It is a book that look in to the societal issues of such country, how when religious and politics overtake the control of huminity. It is not a lite read, but is definitely a book that will make one stop and think, and ponder on issues that seems so simple, but yet, so solym...
• 
  Ilyhana Kennedy

  This is a work of non-fiction and possibly an important documentation, told in story form, of the plight of women living under the brutality of fundamentalist Islam in Iran.
  The story is told by a doctor who eventually fled Iran to live in Australia.
  The content can be hard going but for readers who want to know, it's an education.
  I found the last pages riveting, as he told the story in précis form of the rest of his life 'after Leila'. Incredible.
• 
  Summer Faraj

  I have not read a good story in such a long time! Then I came across this one and I get excited everytime I get a minute to read!! What a story!! I wish there was more he knew about Leila and Zahra and where they have ended up! Maybe a sequel when he does find her!! This is definitely one of my top 3 favourite stories!
• 
  Zamira

  SYNOPSIS:
  
  "Born in a slum to a Muslim father and a Jewish mother, Kooshyar Karimi has transformed himself into a successful doctor, an award-winning writer, and an adoring father. His could be a comfortable life but his conscience won't permit it: he is incapable of turning away the unmarried women who beg him to save their lives by ending the pregnancies that, if discovered, would see them stoned to death"
  
  One of the women he has come across is 22-year-old Leila. Leila dreams of going to university one day but her strictly traditional family forbids it. One her way home from the library one day, she meets a shopkeeper and so the beginning of Leila's secret. Dr. Karimi has helped many women, but Leila needs his help for a different reason, one that will stay with him for years.
  
  MY Thoughts:
  
  This story is told mainly from Dr. Karimi where he is voicing his role and then ultimately the voice of Leila, since he grew to know her so well and as she confided in him. Following Leila and then Dr. Karimi's stories leads to so much heartbreak for both. It at first can feel like a fiction novel, obviously based on some fact of life for woman in this period of time in Iran, until you learn about Kooshyar Karimi and realise this is based on him and one of his 'patients'.
  Leila's journey was so intense. She has so much hope for her future but was held back by her families 'values'. Once Leila met the handsome shop keeper her story and her fate were changed. It was so suspenseful trying to see where Leila would go from here. Leila asked the help of Dr. Karimi, a help that the Dr. didn't usually give.
  Dr. Karimi's story was different. He grew up in a Muslim town to a single Jewish mother and felt backlash from that alone throughout his life. You hear his life journey and how he had to overcome it. His path crosses with Leila's and gives us the story behind Leila's secret.
  It's a real eye opener to how life may still be for some and how privileged we are to live in a modern world. I strongly recommend you read this book. It's so hard to put down once you start!
• 
  Nadia

  Leila’s heart-breaking story was both moving and horrific. The way her thoughts have been laid bare, often at times relatable, had me gripped throughout. The doctor's encounters; his struggle to do the right thing and clear his conscious despite the imminent threat of an early death, were admirable - this is a true story after all!
  
  However, what irked me incessantly while reading this, is the author’s singular narrative that Islam is backward. His references to how women had limited rights in Islam, no permission for divorce, the incorrect linkage of honour killings to the religion and its constant portrayal throughout the book as a barbaric and backward way of life with no place in modern Iranian society, was categorically offensive.
  
  The book is placed in fundamentalist Iran in the 1980s and 1990s. What the author fails to mention is how majority of these atrocities were committed due to the extremist laws and prohibitions laid down during the Iranian revolution, which are far from authentic Islamic teachings. As a Muslim, I found this biased and inappropriate portrayal of Islam deeply upsetting. It’s interesting to note how the author’s constant reference to his Jewish beliefs have cunningly been highlighted in a positive light.
  What’s important to bear in mind, is practices that constitute culture are starkly different to what Islam teaches. In countries such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Middle East etc. the substantial amalgamation of culture with religion erases these boundaries and causes confusion in people, both those that practice and those that critique.
  All in all, a very engaging and interesting read, providing an eye opener into the complications of an oppressive Iranian society of the 1990’s.
• 
  Miney Tan

  Leila’s secret opened my mind to see a different world, in this world women were treated with injustice, oppressed and without freedom and more.
  Even thought I’ve heard of such world exist but I can’t image what it was like until I read this book.
  
  A young girl and a half Jewish doctor who lived in fandamentalist Iran, their connection through a miscarriage and he was touched by her’s choice.
  During his doctor career in Iran, Mr. Karimi secretly known as a miscarriage operator who saved so many women by giving them abortion, all these women have different reasons to do the surgery to survive, every surgery Doctor Karimi give these women another chance not to sentence to death by stone and bring him potential risks to death.
  Ended a life to saved another, so ironic.
  How horrible is this world, women was treated as an object, yet more scary thing is a lot of women accepted it as normal.
  It remind me of the world that I live in with, even the situation is different and less serious but the concept is similar. How many bias we consider is normal, how many mistreat we consider as natural.
  Yet the world is so dirty I am glad that there are still someone never give up or accepted as it is, they fight not just for themselves but for other’s sake. The most precious thing is, after all he’s been through, Doctor Karimi still believes tolerance and the power of forgiveness. A man with pure heart. I admire him deeply.
  
• 
  Dianna Applebaum

  A very moving and impassioned work, blurring the lines between fiction, non-fiction and autobiography. Told from two points of view, Karimi takes liberties with the telling of Leila's story.
  A Doctor who has faced the atrocities of Iran and on many occasions looked death in the face to assist women with unwanted pregnancies, must find in the telling some solace of this previous life.
  I have also read 'I confess' a few years ago after he attended a local book festival. A quiet and humble man who has endured more than any human should. These stories need to be told, people need to know of the tyranny and oppression facing humanity, in particular women and other minorities. It explains why people flee there land in the hope of freedom.
  
  On a purely evaluative level, this book, much like 'I confess', is extremely repetitive and takes to the last few pages to get to the point and then rushes through what could be an exciting escape. I am left with the feeling it is done this way to make way for another book.
  I found the repetition of language and words, especially the use of medical/bodily phrasing during the termination procedure a bit contrived, but I get why he did it.
• 
  Ekaterina Gerasimenko

  I found this book to be a page turner where the author has an immersive writing style. Every time I put the book down I kept wanting to know what happens next. The strict societal structure that most profoundly affects women's lives is vividly described and while most of the examples are horrifying, you just can't stop yourself from latching onto every detail of injustice. I felt this book provided it's reader with emotions such as anger, frustration and sadness at the deprivation of living a life of your own choice but rather a life that has been chosen for you. While disadvantaged lives of women are undoubtedly at the centerpiece of the story, the author highlights issues across multiple layers of society, such as young men starving during military service, large economic gaps between the poor and the wealthy, difficulty in obtaining medical supplies and regulation of freedom of speech. This book makes you rethink some of the basic human rights a lot of us get to enjoy day to day and leaves a long lasting impression.
• 
  Mirtina's_library

  E un libro che oltre a raccontare una storia bellissima ti pone anche davanti una realtà che ad oggi non sempre viene accettata o compresa.
  L’argomento principale e il tema dell aborto, pratica che in alcuni paesi è considerato un “tabù”, è illegale, costringe le donne a ricorrere segretamente ed in altri dove è possibile praticarlo legalmente, ma laddove la legge lo preveda ci sono medici che comunque si rifiutano di praticarlo.
  Racconta anche della figura della donna in una società maschilista, la quale deve stare attenta a come si comporta in un luogo pubblico perché basta una sguardo rivolto in maniera sbagliata per essere giustiziata.
  Il segreto di Leila è ambientato nell’Iran degli anni 70-80 e racconta la storia “vera” di un medico iraniano, che pratica illegalmente aborti e Leila una ragazza che arriverà ad avere bisogno del suo aiuto.
  Il punto di vista della storia è alternato da entrambi i protagonisti e inizialmente le storie si svolgono parallelamente per poi incrociarsi in un determinato punto del racconto.
  E una storia, a tratti non facile che merita di essere letta…
  
• 
  Robyn Gibson

  The second of Kooshyar Karimi's books that I've read. This is about his life but mainly about Leila, a young Iranian girl who is the youngest sister in her family. She would love to go to university and see the world or find a man she loves instead of one who is chosen for her by her parents. Her family is incredibly strict and her life revolves around chores and being at the beck and call of her horrible brothers. She is rarely allowed outside the house and when she is able to go she is chaperoned by her sister. When she had the opportunity to be alone on the rare trip to the library she passes a man who is standing outside his boutique. Firstly it is a smile then she gets a little braver and enters his shop. He is an opportunist and takes advantage of Leila which puts her in the most horrific predicament she could ever imagine.
  A really well written and interesting book by Kooshyar Karimi.
• 
  Bec Begg

  Maybe 2.5 stars, rounded up.
  
  I enjoyed this book because it furthered my understanding on the female position in Iran. I was particularly fascinated (well, horrified) by the reference to ‘sigha’ (an agreement whereby a man can sleep with a woman for a specified time - whether hours or years - for a sum of money) as a legal form of prostitution. I had not heard of this before. I found that the chapters written from the doctor’s position (the autobiographical element) to be less enjoyable than those from Leila’s perspective. It seemed very biased and like he was “selling his story”. I really enjoyed the fiction elements written from Leila’s perspective - both due to the style
  of writing and probably because I felt less manipulated by what was being disclosed
• 
  Sarah Cotter

  I really enjoyed this book. It was a riveting story told with the compassion of someone living within a regime they neither fit in nor support. I suspect there are a few foibles associated with a memoir going on in this non-fiction book. It reads like a novel. This speaks the the author’s skill writing and also informs my suspicion that he has embellished the story to suit himself. I really enjoyed it anyway. This is a book written with 2 main characters and 2 voices. Kooshyar and Leila. My only gripe is that it’s “Leila’s Secret,” but the book is really all about Kooshyar. He imagines her reasoning and voice based on a single meeting and a letter. That is why it’s not a 5 star read for me. That is a small gripe for a compelling read.