Lost Without My Daughter cover

Lost Without My Daughter

by Sayed Mahmoody

In 1987, American housewife Betty Mahmoody published Not Without My Daughter, which became a sensation. In the book, Betty and Mahtob, her five-year-old daughter, were kidnapped from the USA in 1984 and imprisoned in Tehran by her Iranian husband, Dr Sayed Mahmoody - aka 'Moody' - a man she vilified as a violent, sadistic monster. Betty's story culminated with a dramatic escape, as she takes her daughter from Iran over the Zagros Mountains and into Turkey. The book sold 12 million copies and inspired the 1991 Hollywood film of the same name, starring Oscar-winner Sally Field. For twenty years Betty's husband has kept silent. In 2002, a Finnish documentary entitled "Ilman tytärtäni" tells Sayed Mahmoody's controversial side of the story. Lost Without My Daughter, published posthumously, is also a cultural and political history of Iran, from the revolution to the present day.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?