LOS ANGELES - Nov. 24, 2020 -Writing and Madness in a Time of Terror by Afarin Majidi
Earning an MFA in writing at the New School, working at Rolling Stone magazine, and being courted by an editor at a prestigious publishing house—Afarin Majidi should be thrilled with the direction her life is taking as she turns thirty. Instead, she is spiraling into the depths of madness.After colleagues at the magazine drug and rape her, she's left with an unfinished novel. She turns to a former professor, James Lasdun. Majidi is the woman he calls "Nasreen" in his memoir, Give Me Everything You Have.
My favorite aspect of this book was the author's unique writing style; the use of deadpan humor, which was beautifully wove into the story, further enhancing my enjoyment of this poignant memoir...I'm glad to award Writing and Madness in a Time of Terror 4 out of 4 stars. -Online Book Club
This memoir portrays how gaslighting works in emotionally abusive relationships and how the victim shrinks over time. It's a very realistic look at how survivors are often serial survivors, especially in a culture that praises sadistic men. The emotional amnesia survivors suffer from is what makes this book resonate. -Fupping
Writing and Madness in a Time of Terror is a glimpse into the mind of a woman swallowed whole by a crumbling state of mind after sexual trauma. The reader scrambles alongside her for a sense of hope that the nightmare will end. Here you will find a strong narrative account of victimization, the broken homes created in the face of crisis, and the hostile experience of marginalized women even in academia and especially the publishing world.-Pretty Progressive
"Beautifully written, this is a classic that rivals Girl Interrupted." - Improve Her Health
"Majidi's memoir doesn't end like a fairytale. Nobody swoops into her rescue. There are no trivializing and simplifying anecdotes regarding how everything gets better. It was refreshing to me that this book doesn't impose a "happily ever after" narrative, a cliché that alienates readers like me, who are still struggling. Ultimately, Majidi rescues herself. Sometimes we must become our own saviors. The very act of her survival was an act of defiance." -Entropy
"A [girl] forced to flee Iran with her family ... bravely explores three explosive issues--mental illness, racism, and misogyny--with bracing candor ... Majidi provides an engrossing and timely look at the way women of color are doubly objectified, as exotic sexual quarry and as individuals worthy of contempt." -Kirkus Reviews
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Afarin (Fran) Majidi
