The photo of a woman standing proudly, face bare, hair blowing in the wind.

Her crime: removing her veil, or hijab, which is compulsory for women in Iran.

Masih's self-portrait sparked 'My Stealthy Freedom,' a social media campaign that went viral.

'With mighty righteousness on her side and bravery in her heart' Tina Brown


But Masih is so much more than the arresting face that inspired women around the world. She's also an internationally-known journalist who grew up in a traditional village where her mother, a tailor and respected figure in the community, was the exception to the rule.

As a teenager, Masih was arrested for political activism and discovered she was pregnant while in police custody. When she was released, she married quickly and followed her husband to Tehran where she was served divorce papers. Masih spent nine years struggling to regain custody of her beloved only son and remains in forced exile from her homeland and her heritage.

Masih Alinejad's personal story is intriguing and inspiring . . . her voice is so important to Iran's civil society and the Iranian people's struggles for freedom and democracy' Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran


An enlightening, intimate invitation into a little-known world, this is the extraordinary memoir of a woman who overcame enormous adversity to fight for what she believes in, and to encourage others to do the same.

'Masih Alinejad is a fearless champion . . . a reporter uncovering powerful truths and writing passionately in support of human rights in a country where doing so meant risking one's freedom and safety' Sheryl Sandberg, author of Lean In

Ismat Chughtai (1915-1991) was born in Badayun and is counted among the earliest and foremost women Urdu writers. She focused on women’s issues with a directness and intensity unparalleled in Indian literature among writers of her generation. She is the author of several collections of short stories, novellas and novels—including, besides Terhi Lakir (The Crooked Line), Ajeeb Aadmi (A Very Strange Man) and Masooma —a collection of reminiscences and essays and a memoir, Kaghazi Hai Perahan (The Paper-thin Garment). With her husband, Shahid Latif, a film director, she produced and co-directed six Hindustani films and produced a further six, independently, after his death. Tahira Naqvi (translator), a translator of Urdu fiction and prose, taught English for twenty years, has taught Urdu at Columbia and now heads the Urdu programme at New York University. She has translated Ismat Chughtai’s short stories, novels and novellas and essays. She has also translated the works of Khadija Mastur, Sa’dat Hasan Manto and Munshi Premchand. Naqvi also writes fiction in English. She has published two collections of short fiction, Attar of Roses and Other Stories of Pakistan and Dying in a Strange Country. Her short stories have been widely anthologized