The Commiserator (in Persian)
A book about coping with incomprehensible grief
In 1998, I lost my brother to a car accident on the other side of the globe. Not having “closure”, it took me two years to resume a normal life! Books helped a lot, and I read everything I could about the topic. The experience made me think of the numerous other Iranian immigrants who go down such a dark road. Unfortunately, for many, their limited knowledge of English makes it hard to benefit from the available books. I remembered a favorite quote from Toni Morrison, “If there’s a book you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
So, I wrote my stories and experiences in a small book titled Shareek-e-Gham (in Persian, it means “sharing your sorrow” or, simply put, “The Commiserator”!) The text was edited by the late Professor Mehdi Forough – and he wrote the Foreword for it as well. I published it in 2000 through an independent publisher in Los Angeles, Zax Publishing. To this day, it has helped many Iranians cope with grief and I am proud to know that some Iranian-American analysts recommend it to their patients.
This book can be purchased from Ketab Book Corporation or please contact me directly to order.