In early 1981, while pregnant with my son, I learned of a young Iranian village boy who had been unjustly trapped by his country’s backward legal system. His harrowing story pierced my heart and settled in the deepest folds of my mind, never to leave me.

For years I carried the weight of his suffering. At last, upon my retirement, I resolved to share his tragic life with the world.

Initially, relying mostly on my writing and story-telling skills, I was unprepared for the challenges ahead. I had left my country a few years before the Iranian Islamic Revolution, which meant I had to familiarize myself with the new government’s policies and its justice system under Sharia law. I also needed to research the Iran–Iraq War, which followed the revolution and dragged on for nearly a decade. Yet the greatest challenge of all was writing my novel in English. I knew I had to immerse myself in grammar books and consult the thesaurus diligently. Still, there were times when I rewrote a single paragraph over and over again, striving to ensure that I conveyed the right message to readers.

The first draft of my book was nearly complete when disaster struck: I suffered a severe stroke. My recovery was long and difficult, delaying the completion of Death Row Boy by another two years.

In spite of the hardships, I am proud that I was able to become a voice for one innocent child.