by Lee Mitchell: A moving and heart breaking tribute to all the Kurds still living, or trying to live, a normal life in Iran. Leila Saman was born Kurdish but she always felt guilty and insecure about her background. She knew she could speak Kurdish at home but but it was forbidden to speak it in public or in school. Leila was never told of the fifty years of Kurdish history that Iran has endeavored, almost successfully, to eradicate. Her father bore the scars of his prison detention for his leftist activities and no one spoke of the murders by the state of her six uncles.
Uncertain of herself and who she is, she moves to Tehran with her brother Chia who is enrolled in college. Chia encourages her to read his notebooks on the Iranian regime and its affects on the Kurds and just as she is starting to understand, Chia disappears. We can feel her pain as no official will admit to knowing where Chia is or if he has been arrested. Although she pleads, begs and bribes no one will even admit he is missing. With no information where does Leila go from here?
