A Matter of Survival

Starting in 1725, in a world where outwardly women were confined to Andaroons (hareems) and completely controlled by men, who had as many ‘wives’ as they wanted, Khatoon stands out as a highly influential member of the Royal Andaroon. It is through Khatoon’s eventful life that Lily Monadjemi, a great granddaughter of Nasser Al-Din shah Gajar who reigned in Iran for fifty years, begins this fascinating account of the history of her family, her people and her country.

In a meticulous analysis of the women’s roles, she extensively covers the lives of her female ancestors who had immense influence on their husbands and through them, on Iranian society.

Telling the fascinating history of this ancient society in personalized scenes through the centuries, Lily Monadjemi paints vivid pictures of the rises and falls of the various Shahs and their eventual downfall, giving way to the success of the 1979 Revolution and the retrograde steps of Ayatollah Khomaini and his Islamic Republic.

Within this is woven her own history and how these events affected her life and that of her immediate family.