Masoud: Memoirs of an Iranian Rebel Format: Paperback

Masoud is a story unlike any other to come out of Iran in modern times. Banisadr's revelations about the inner sanctum of the sect-like organization, the Iranian Mojahedin, provide rare insights into a period of Iranian history. Growing up in the aftermath of the 1953 CIA coup in Iran exposed the young Masoud Banisadr to extremes of wealth and poverty, loyalty and betrayal. Years later in the United Kingdom, where Banisadr had gone to do postgraduate study, he decided to join the Iranian Mohajedin, an organization fighting to dislodge the regime that took power following the 1979 revolution. Torn between two loves--his family and the cause--Masoud gave up normal life to pursue the revolution. But it wasn't long before the dream turned sour. The Mojahedin's revolutionary fervor demanded more than total sacrifice: he was pressured to divorce his beloved wife, alienate himself from his family and career, and remain separated for over a decade from his children. Years later, following his defection from the organization, Masoud decides to tell his story. At once a passionate and terrifying this account of one man's revolutionary journey is also a poignant warning against the dangers of extremism.