The Love of Freedom, Justice, Equality, and Persian Food
By Shermin Kruse
I was born in Tehran, Iran. Two years later came the Islamic revolution, followed by the launch of a bloody and protracted war with neighboring Iraq. Life was sometimes terrifying; from the aftershocks of rocket attacks, to math lessons taught in bomb shelters, to the long-barreled gun pointed at my little face because my headscarf fell down in the wind. Yet, somehow, love was abundant in my community.
Shermin and twin sisters' first birthday party. Tehran, Iran – January 1981.