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Green Parrots
A Memoir of Survival in Iran's Evin Prison
Pub Date
Sep 15 2026
| Archive Date
Nov 15 2026
Description
In this extraordinary memoir, Tahbaz reveals how nearly six years in Evin Prison, including solitary confinement and torture, taught him that the skills he'd developed tracking Persian leopards and Asiatic cheetahs could save his own life.
When Iranian authorities arrested Morad Tahbaz in January 2018, they thought they were capturing a spy. They were wrong. Tahbaz was a conservationist—and they had handed him a new wilderness in which to survive. In this extraordinary memoir, Tahbaz reveals how nearly six years in Evin Prison, including solitary confinement and torture, taught him that the skills he'd developed tracking Persian leopards and Asiatic cheetahs could save his own life. He found forty-seven animals hidden in his cell's stone walls. He designed Persian carpets in his mind. And every dawn, he listened to the wild green parrots screaming in the prison's ancient poplars—proof that life persists even where designed to be denied. Green Parrots is not a victim's story. It's a survival manual for anyone facing darkness.
In this extraordinary memoir, Tahbaz reveals how nearly six years in Evin Prison, including solitary confinement and torture, taught him that the skills he'd developed tracking Persian leopards...
Description
In this extraordinary memoir, Tahbaz reveals how nearly six years in Evin Prison, including solitary confinement and torture, taught him that the skills he'd developed tracking Persian leopards and Asiatic cheetahs could save his own life.
When Iranian authorities arrested Morad Tahbaz in January 2018, they thought they were capturing a spy. They were wrong. Tahbaz was a conservationist—and they had handed him a new wilderness in which to survive. In this extraordinary memoir, Tahbaz reveals how nearly six years in Evin Prison, including solitary confinement and torture, taught him that the skills he'd developed tracking Persian leopards and Asiatic cheetahs could save his own life. He found forty-seven animals hidden in his cell's stone walls. He designed Persian carpets in his mind. And every dawn, he listened to the wild green parrots screaming in the prison's ancient poplars—proof that life persists even where designed to be denied. Green Parrots is not a victim's story. It's a survival manual for anyone facing darkness.
Advance Praise
"A profoundly humble, inspiring tale of survival and hope — a conservationist's voice that refuses to be silenced. And, the most clear example of never giving up that I have ever read."
— Tom Acomb, Former Disney Imagineer, Current Chief Creative Officer, AOA
"Green Parrots is a majestic story of courage and persistence in the face of unimaginable cruelty. Morad's tale of years of survival deep in the Iranian regime's machinery of deadly repression is leavened by stories of his family's never ending support, and a constant return to the majesty of Iran's wildlife. In the face of day-to-day humiliations and the prospect of a too young death by cancer or the hangman's noose, Morad and his family never lost hope. This is a story that will redeem your belief in the power of grace and goodness."
— Congressman Jim Himes
"A profoundly humble, inspiring tale of survival and hope — a conservationist's voice that refuses to be silenced. And, the most clear example of never giving up that I have ever read."
—...
Advance Praise
"A profoundly humble, inspiring tale of survival and hope — a conservationist's voice that refuses to be silenced. And, the most clear example of never giving up that I have ever read."
— Tom Acomb, Former Disney Imagineer, Current Chief Creative Officer, AOA
"Green Parrots is a majestic story of courage and persistence in the face of unimaginable cruelty. Morad's tale of years of survival deep in the Iranian regime's machinery of deadly repression is leavened by stories of his family's never ending support, and a constant return to the majesty of Iran's wildlife. In the face of day-to-day humiliations and the prospect of a too young death by cancer or the hangman's noose, Morad and his family never lost hope. This is a story that will redeem your belief in the power of grace and goodness."
— Congressman Jim Himes
Available Editions
| EDITION |
Hardcover |
| ISBN |
9781918271157 |
| PRICE |
$30.00 (USD)
|
| PAGES |
240
|
Available on NetGalley
NetGalley Reader
(EPUB)
NetGalley Shelf App
(EPUB)
Send to Kindle (EPUB)
Send to Kobo (EPUB)
Download (EPUB)
Available to Buy
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BISAC Codes
BIO000000 BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General
POL035010 POLITICAL SCIENCE / Human Rights
BIO038000 BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Survival
Additional Information
Available Editions
| EDITION |
Hardcover |
| ISBN |
9781918271157 |
| PRICE |
$30.00 (USD)
|
| PAGES |
240
|
Available on NetGalley
NetGalley Reader
(EPUB)
NetGalley Shelf App
(EPUB)
Send to Kindle (EPUB)
Send to Kobo (EPUB)
Download (EPUB)
Available to Buy
Buy on BN.com
Buy on Bookshop.org
*This page contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
BISAC Codes
BIO000000 BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General
POL035010 POLITICAL SCIENCE / Human Rights
BIO038000 BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Survival
Average rating from 1 member
Featured Reviews
Ronnica F, Reviewer
4 stars
4 stars
4 stars
4 stars
4 stars
A powerful story, and surprisingly hopeful. This was a difficult but necessary read, bringing light to those who suffer for the political ambition and power of others.
4 stars
4 stars
4 stars
4 stars
4 stars
Featured Reviews
Ronnica F, Reviewer
4 stars
4 stars
4 stars
4 stars
4 stars
A powerful story, and surprisingly hopeful. This was a difficult but necessary read, bringing light to those who suffer for the political ambition and power of others.
4 stars
4 stars
4 stars
4 stars
4 stars
