''I'm Alive '' () is a book written by

Masoumeh Abad Masoumeh Abad (; born 5 September 1962) is an Iranian author, university professor, and conservative politician. She was a member of the fourth Islamic City Council of Tehran and its Director of Health Division. Abad is also the author of the bo ...

about her memories in the

Iran–Iraq war The Iran–Iraq War, also known as the First Gulf War, was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. Active hostilities began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for nearly eight years, unti ...

(1980–1988). Masoumeh, who was 17 at the time, was a social worker in a field hospital and in medical clinics for the

Iranian Red Crescent Society The Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS), officially the Red Crescent Society of the Islamic Republic of Iran () is a non-governmental humanitarian organization in Iran. Founded as the Red Lion and Sun Society in 1922, it became affiliated with t ...

during the war. The English translation of ''I'm Alive'' launched on the

Frankfurt Book Fair The Frankfurt Book Fair (German: , FBM) is the world's largest trade fair for books, based on the number of publishing companies represented. The five-day annual event in mid-October is held at the Frankfurt Trade Fair grounds in Frankfurt am ...

. ''I'm Alive'' has received the ''Sacred Defense Book of The Year'' award has been reprinted many times in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. The idea for writing the novel came to Abad in 2012. This book is one of the first published works about the Iranian women's roles during this period, which opened the way for the publication of similar works.

Ali Khamenei Ali Hosseini Khamenei (; born 19 April 1939) is an Iranian cleric and politician who has served as the second supreme leader of Iran since 1989. He previously served as the third President of Iran, president from 1981 to 1989. Khamenei's tenure ...

Supreme leader of Iran The supreme leader of Iran, also referred to as the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution, but officially called the supreme leadership authority, is the head of state and the highest political and religious authority of Iran (above the Presi ...

, read the book and appreciated Abad for her efforts in Iran-Iraq war.

Author

Masoumeh Abad was born on 5 September 1962 in a religious family who were active during and after the

Iranian Revolution The Iranian Revolution (, ), also known as the 1979 Revolution, or the Islamic Revolution of 1979 (, ) was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1979. The revolution led to the replacement of the Impe ...

. She is native of southern Iran and when was 17 years old the Iran-Iraq war started. Masoumeh Abad is an Iranian writer, university professor, and politician.

Narrative

Abad's memories of the Iran-Iraq War are contained in I'm Alive. She also narrated his memoirs of captivity while she was serving a four-year prison sentence. The book consists of seven chapters. The first and second chapters are about Abad's childhood and adolescence period in

Abadan Abadan (; ) is a city in the Central District (Abadan County), Central District of Abadan County, Khuzestan province, Khuzestan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. The city is in the southwest of the coun ...

. The third Chapter narrates Iranian Revolution. Fourth, fifth and sixth chapters are written about the war and Abad's captivity memoirs in Al-Rashid prison in

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

city,

Mousel Mousel is a beer founded in 1511 in Luxembourg. Brief details The Mousel brewery was located in the Luxembourg City quarter of Clausen, Luxembourg, Clausen, along the banks of the river Alzette, until 2000, when it merged with the Brasserie d ...

, and

Al-Anbar Al Anbar Governorate (; ''muḥāfaẓat al-’Anbār''), or Anbar Province, is the largest governorate in Iraq by area. Encompassing much of the country's western territory, it shares borders with Syria, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The population ...

camps.

Publication

The book was first published in Persian by Broj Publication Company in 2012. It has also been translated into

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

and

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

Translator

The book translated to English by

Paul Sprachman Paul Sprachman (born 26 May 1947) is a professor emeritus who taught at Rutgers University in the United States. He earned his PhD degree from University of Chicago in 1981. He has worked and studied in Afghanistan and Iran for a number of years. ...

, professor of

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

. The book has been translated in Urdu language. Translated by Zaheer Abbass Ja'fri and published by Muttahari Fikri wa Saqafati Markaz Kashmir. Translating this book in Urdu was a praiseworthy effort and can cover a large readership across South Asia.

Awards

I'm Alive has received an award in the 16th Sacred Defense Book of The Year award in

References

{{reflist, 2

External links

Ayatollah Khamenei about the book "I’m Alive"
Iran–Iraq War memoirs Persian-language books 2000 non-fiction books 1980 in Iran Iranian memoirs