Lori's Song: The True Story of an American Woman Held Captive in Iran

Lori Foroozandeh

Outskirts Press, Incorporated, 2009 - Biography & Autobiography - 244 pages

Though she endured a childhood of physical and sexual abuse, nothing would ever equal what happened to her in Iran the weeks following 9/11.

Lori, an American married to an Iranian, had been working and living as an ordinary member of Iranian society for almost 4 years when she had heard rumors that the U.S. was going to be attacked. That was on September 9, 2001. She tried and failed to call home and give warning.

The news that all those rumors were horribly true came on September 11th 2001. That was when her husband suddenly announced that they had to go back to the States in case there were repercussions.

On September 12, 2001, Lori and her husband were at the Shiraz bus terminal intending to catch a bus to Istanbul and from there to Heathrow and home to the U.S.A. They were totally unprepared for the convoy of troop carriers that suddenly drove up and the armed men who came pouring out to take the hapless couple prisoner.

There was no explanation offered. The men took Lori's husband one direction and she another, pushing them blindfolded into the back of the troop carriers with other prisoners, mostly Iranian.

Who the armed men were was anybody's guess but they took their prisoners to POW camp in unfamiliar territory and there, Lori was held, tortured, raped, and starved with them for over a month. Her husband was not to be seen again.

Lori was rescued with one of her fellow inmates by the girl's family and, after riding a llama for 1-2 days over mountainous terrain; she arrived at the Iran Immigration center. By then, she weighed in at only 70 pounds, was still suffering from the many injuries she'd received at the hands of her torturers, and wanted badly to get home to her family in the USA. Even then, she had to fight Iranian Islamic bureaucracy to have permission to go, as the husband was unavailable to grant it. In any Islamic country, unknown to many western women, the husband or guardian's permission is always required for a woman to travel anywhere.

Lori had been married to Mohammad for 9 years and thought she could trust him but, since their arrival in Iran in 1998, his personality and behavior had changed so radically as to make this most recent nightmare highly suspicious.

The events told here are true. It was no coincidence that this American citizen had been placed into a concentration camp. In fact, it raises many questions and should be a caution to many!

What people are saying

User Review -

This was one of the most interesting cultural divers, and GREAT READING BOOK. For Americans this is a must read. Lori explains her whole reason as to why she escaped to IRAN with her Iranian husband, Mohammad!
She experiences some lovely gestures from her students, and then she had to face the music when she saw one man beating on one of my students.....Mohammad tole her it's none of her business, and just go and teach. What she was most so livid about is that Mohammad didn't have any concern about young children going to church but being treated like they were a nuisance! I want church to be a warm loving inviting place that we are not afraid to approach. Please leave your comments I WOULD LOVE TO READ THESE.  

User Review -

By the age of 15 Lori was married. Her marriage was an escape from molestation by her brother. More abuse, both sexual, domestic, and drug abuse were to follow in her life.
Remarried to an Iranian Lori left her son behind and traveled to Iran with her husband. The day after 9/11 both she and her husband are trying to leave Iran and are arrested. Separated, she finds herself in a POW camp. It is here she suffers more abuse in the form of torture, rape and starvation. After rescue she has another hurdle to get over. In Iran, a woman can’t travel without her husband’s permission. Since she didn’t know where he was she had to fight their bureaucracy just to return to her country of birth. Once back in the United States she began her long journey, as yet unfinished down the road of healing. What amazed me about this book was the love she still has for the Iranian people. There is no hatred or prejudice toward them, even after what she went through. This was an excellent book and a definite emotional read. 

Bibliographic information

• Title: Lori's Song: The True Story of an American Woman Held Captive in Iran
• Author: Lori Foroozandeh
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Outskirts Press, Incorporated, 2009
• ISBN: 1432711822, 9781432711825
• Length: 244 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs