In July 2014, Washington Post Tehran bureau chief Jason Rezaian was arrested by Iranian police, accused of spying for America. The charges were absurd. Rezaian’s reporting was a mix of human interest stories and political analysis. He had even served as a guide for Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown. Initially, Rezaian thought the whole thing was a terrible misunderstanding, but soon realized that it was much more dire as it became an eighteen-month prison stint with impossibly high diplomatic stakes.
In Prisoner, Rezaian writes of his exhausting interrogations and farcical trial. He also reflects on his idyllic childhood in Northern California and his bond with his Iranian father, a rug merchant; how his teacher Christopher Hitchens inspired him to pursue journalism; and his life-changing decision to move to Tehran, where his career took off and he met his wife. Written with wit, humor, and grace, Prisoner brings to life a fascinating, maddening culture in all its complexity.
Jason will be in conversation with New Yorker Editor-in-Chief David Remnick on Tuesday, January 22 at 7:30 PM EST at the main branch of the New York Public Library for the LIVE from the NYPL series. Find out more and buy tickets here.
Can't make it? No worries, you can follow along with the hashtag #LIVEfromtheNYPL on Twitter and Instagram.
Be sure to download an egalley of Prisoner now!
-Lainey