Author Zohreh Ghahremani arrived at her presentation in the Rancho San Diego Library’s Community Room to an audience who was already reading aloud parts of her book “Sky of Red Poppies.” Unlike many authors who are reticent, Ghahremani immediately engaged everyone with her generous smile and talk about her life.
Author Zohreh Ghahremani arrived at her presentation in the Rancho San Diego Library’s Community Room to an audience who was already reading aloud parts of her book “Sky of Red Poppies.” Unlike many authors who are reticent, Ghahremani immediately engaged everyone with her generous smile and talk about her life.
Since everyone was familiar with her work, which has garnered praise and awards, Ghahremani launched into a discussion of who she was, an Iranian-American who loved both her native country and the United States she’s called home for 50 years.
“Sky of Red Poppies,” her first and most famous work, a novel of two high school girls who are friends and classmates in 1960’s Iran, is an illustration of Ghahremani’s love for Iran, which she voluntarily left with her husband when they completed their schooling.
The novel was 25 years in the making. “I started it before I moved to San Diego when I was still in Chicago. I promise you, most of my work doesn’t take that long,” she said smiling.
According to tradition, young people in Iran often went abroad for their education. Ghahremani was schooled in England, where she met her husband.
“We then moved to this country, which he loves, as I do, too,” said Ghahremani, a retired professor of Pediatric Dentistry.
When Ghahremani and her husband had their children, they both decided that even though they would teach them the Iranian culture, they would raise them up in the American culture. But while living in Chicago, Ghahremani suffered from Seasonal Affective Disorder because of the long, cold months.
“My doctor told me to stand outside because even though there was gray sky, the light would help. But that did not do me enough good, so my husband promised that we would move to California for the sun once the girls were grown up,” she said.
When they did move to San Diego, Ghahremani leapt to action. She enrolled in writing classes at UCSD.
“I used my pen to be the camera and show Iran of the 1960s, the good and the bad, the rich and the poor, the political and non-political. You meet people in my book, you eat what the characters eat,” she said.
The time that Iranian people immigrate to the United States makes all the difference in the world. “My husband and I came as a choice, unlike so many people later,” she said.
Those who were forced to come to the United States because of the divisions and conflict within Iran will forever be missing the feeling of having a home, Ghahremani explained.
“It was a force of nature that pushed them out,” she said.
The author is one who likes to give the enemy the benefit of doubt. She urged her audience to not forget that the country she lived in as a child was different than the place everyone hears about now The Islam in Iran, Ghahremani said, are now using their religion as an excuse for violence.
“I’m not Muslim,” she said. “I would always tell my children that my religion is that I dial direct.”
Everyone in the audience laughed.
“Well, think about it. What if we had an earthquake and I wanted to go pray somewhere? I could go anywhere I wanted, to a church, synagogue, temple, anywhere. I’m not bound to a particular place or ritual.”
Ghahremani ended with stating that she was one in a million to have seen her dream come true of writing a book.
“My country nurtured me and loved me. But when my nation, got ill, I felt I had nothing to return. Now I have and I’m happy about it,” she said.
Linda Crawford and Maura Larkins, members of East County Writers that also meets in the library, reflected on Ghahremani’s presentation.
“I want to be like her to be able to speak with such passion about her work. You can feel her heart,” said Crawford, who has written her own novel.
Larkins was equally impressed. “My strongest response to the presentation tonight was to the passage in the book where the teacher points his finger at all the students and accuses them of standing silently while another student was dragged away.
“Of course, things had gone too far in Iran at that time–the students couldn’t do anything. The real crime is when we stand silent even when we are safe,” Larkins said.
Library Branch Manager Brenna Ring said she was happy with the turnout to hear Ghahremani speak. “I didn’t want her to leave. I wanted her to keep talking,” Ring said.
“The Moon Daughter” is Ghahremani’s newest novel. For more information go to www.zoeghahremani.com.
