Book Synopsis

Before there was Madonna or Beyoncé, there was Googoosh. For the first time, one of the biggest pop stars of the 20th century tells her remarkable story: her rise to fame in pre-revolution Iran, her arrest and imprisonment, her twenty-year exile, and finally, her triumphant return to the global stage.

"My story is not only my story. It's about our past, my country, how it was, what it became, what happened to the people, to artists."

What would happen to a country's biggest pop star if religious extremists took control? In the wake of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, singer Googoosh found out. She was ordered by her government to never sing again, and for twenty years, she didn't...until she did.

Now, in this lyrical and moving memoir, pop superstar Googoosh unveils her unforgettable journey. From her difficult upbringing in Iran's tumultuous 1950s and '60s to her stardom in the '70s, she reveals what it was like to reach the peak of her career just as the 1979 Islamic Revolution swept the country. Seemingly overnight, she went from being on magazine covers, at film premieres and fashion shows, and constantly on the radio, to targeted by religious clerics. What followed is a harrowing tale of oppression, intimidation, and exile.

After more than twenty years--forbidden to sing or speak out--she found her voice at the turn of the millennium, once again on the international stage. Now, inspired by the brave women of Iran on the front lines fighting for their freedoms, Googoosh finally tells her full story, and with it, the story of a country once again on the brink.

Review Quotes

"Googoosh's story broke my heart but also gave me hope: hope for voices that defy silence, for women who risk their lives in order to preserve their dignity and their true identity, for a singer retrieving her voice from those who silenced it, and for Iranian women and men, defying the sound of the Islamic regime's bullets with singing in the streets...This memoir is about the triumph of the hopeful voice, the sinful voice. To those who tried to break Googoosh with their hate, she responded by focusing on love. She survived by remaining faithful to her first and last love, music. Music is a part of her, like blood running through her veins. So for Googoosh, resistance against the Islamic Republic is not a political act, it is existential. Because just being Googoosh is illegal and subversive."
- Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran


"In Googoosh's memoir, the story of her life converges with the story of her country--a tale at once triumphant and tragic... If Googoosh continues to speak to Iranians, it's perhaps because her story stands for Iran: glory and growing pains in the 1960s and '70s, quiet resilience in the '80s and '90s, reemergence in the 2000s, and continued hope for a better future. She reminds us of our best days and our worst days and, most important, of a homeland worth caring about."
- The Atlantic

"Iran has been producing cultural icons for millennia. But none enjoy the level of popularity inside the country or in the diaspora that Googoosh does."
- The Washington Post

"A remarkable story of her life and career."
- The Orange County Register, Fall Book Preview

"Googoosh's journey is not just the story of an artist, but of a people torn between nostalgia and repression--a country still struggling to find its voice. In this powerful memoir, the iconic singer reflects on a life lived in the spotlight and in the shadows--of love and loss, exile and endurance, and a spirit that refused to be erased. Raw, poetic, and unflinchingly honest, this is not just Googoosh's story--it is the story of Iran itself. As a new generation of women and men rise to demand "Woman, Life, Freedom," her voice echoes their courage and carries their message. She reminds us that a song can be louder than a sword--and that hope, once sung, can never be silenced."
- Nazanin Boniadi, Actress, Human Rights Activist.

"It is hard to overstate the immense role that Googoosh's music has played in the lives of millions...This moving memoir shows the childhood bonds and traumas that shape an artist, the deeply personal relationship pitfalls a woman must navigate as her star rises, and the desolation and isolation that political oppression brings... An absolutely riveting read that reveals the history we did not know behind the superstar we each thought was ours alone and a testament to the resilience, talent, and legacy of a true lion woman."
- Marjan Kamali, bestselling author of The Lion Women of Tehran

"Thoroughly engaging... Googoosh's singing is revered for its storytelling aspects; this heartfelt and moving testimonial flows like an anthem."
- Booklist, starred review

About the Author

Born Faegheh Atashin in 1950, Googoosh is Iran's first and biggest popstar. She now lives in Los Angeles.