We Heard the Heavens Then A Memoir of Iran

A piercing look at revolution through the wide-open eyes of a child, this is the true story of an extraordinary father/son relationship imperiled by Iran's ominous and drastically changing political climate. Aria Minu-Sepehr was raised in a sheltered world of extraordinary privilege as the son of a major general in the Shah's Imperial Iranian Air Force. The 1970s were the end result of half a century of Westernization in Iran, and Aria's father was the man of the hour. But when the Shah was overthrown and the Ayatollah rose to power in 1979, Aria's idyllic life skidded to a halt. Days spent practicing calligraphy in his father's embrace and watching Sesame Streetafter school were suddenly infused with fears that the militia would invade his home. With family friends disappearing every day and resources growing scarce, Aria found himself torn between being the man of the house and being a much-needed source of comic relief. We Heard the Heavens Thenis a deeply moving memoir told from two vantage points: a boy growing up faster than any child should, observing and recoiling in the moment, and the adult who examines the events that shaped him. Aria Minu-Sepehr takes us back through his explosive youth, into the heart of the revolution when a boy's hero became a hunted man.

Aria Minu-Sepehr moved with his family to the United States following the fall of the shah of Iran in 1979. He is an adjunct professor of English, founder of the Forum for Middle East Awareness, and a public lecturer in fields related to Iran and the Middle East. He lives in Oregon with his wife and two daughters.