A Memoir of Courage, Faith, and Endurance
by Shiraz Nomad
"They took his childhood, but not his courage."
In post-revolution Iran, silence meant safety — yet Nomad refused to be silent. Born into a world shadowed by violence and hypocrisy, his courage became a quiet rebellion against those who sought to erase him.
Each recollection is both wound and weapon. Through Nomad's evocative storytelling, memory becomes a form of survival, a way to reclaim what was taken, to speak what was forbidden, and to turn trauma into truth.
Even amid cruelty, beauty persists. Between the scent of jasmine, the rhythm of prayer, and the ache of longing, shines an unbreakable spirit, a testament to faith that endures when everything else burns away.
A Place We Used to Call Home is a haunting, breathtaking story of survival. It's one boy's journey through the hidden brutality of life in post-revolution Iran. From the fragrant courtyards of Sarvestan to the cold corridors of prison, this book follows Nomad – a child born into a world where silence is safety and truth is rebellion.
Through Nomad's fearless words, the reader witnesses the unraveling of innocence: a father's heavy hand, a brother's betrayal, a country turning against its own. Yet even in the darkest corners, light persists — in the laughter of sisters, the warmth of bread baking on a Tanorak, and the quiet defiance of a boy who refuses to disappear.
This is not just a story about pain; it is about endurance — about the strength it takes to remember when forgetting would be easier. Nomad writes with the tenderness of a survivor and the precision of a witness, turning trauma into testimony and grief into grace.
Every page hums with questions of belonging, faith, and forgiveness — and with the haunting beauty of a boy who refuses to vanish inside his pain.
"A triumph of voice over violence, a powerful reminder that memory can be both a weapon and a healing balm."
For readers who love true stories of survival, Nomad's story is a torch held against the darkness — one that burns long after the last page is turned.
About the Author
Born in southern Iran, Shiraz Nomad witnessed first-hand the upheaval of the 1979 Revolution and the violent repression that followed. His youth was marked by imprisonment, torture, and the constant struggle to survive in a regime determined to silence dissent.
Forced into exile, he rebuilt his life in England, carrying with him the memories of a homeland scarred by loss yet rich in resilience.
A Place We Used to Call Home is his first book — written as testimony for those who could not speak and as a reminder of the endurance of the human spirit.