ESCAPE TO
TEHRAN

Tragedy and terrorism couldn’t extinguish his hopes for a better life for his beloved family. Escape To Tehran is a powerful true story about how one couple’s decision to leave their home in St. Petersburg on the eve of the Communist revolution began an adventurous trek to establish a new life. Twice more, they would flee Stalin and the communist before they passed away, leaving their 17-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter orphaned and earning their living in a new country, Iran. Their son, the author’s father, served as a translator for the Soviet Union, United States, and British armies in Northern Iran during World War Two. His desire to succeed, however, nearly ended when the Iranians arrested him as a spy. Eventually, he escaped to Tehran, built a successful business, married, and raised a family. But his good fortune was short-lived when Khomeini rose to power.

Escape to Tehran

Book Overview

An Unwanted Child

I was an unwanted child. My entrance into this world was completely unexpected. In fact, I am told my mother tried to abort me more than once. She already had two daughters, Neda and Natasha, and a stepson, Nikolai, my father’s child from his first wife Olga. Mother did not need an infant to care for at this point of her life. When my father found out, he took a stand. “That’s enough! I won’t allow you to harm yourself or possibility risk death. Six months later I was born, instantly becoming the apple of my father’s eye.

My Father’s Story

My father was born in Belarus, formerly a part of the Russian Empire. Father’s parents were born and raised in St. Petersburg and had met during a reception at the Winter Palace of Tzar Nicholas II. Although neither parent was a direct descendant of the Romanov family, they were of royal blood and supported the monarchy. Late in 1914 my grandparents realized that unrest in St. Petersburg was growing. Sensing that danger lay ahead, they decided to sell their beautiful home and …

Bastille Day

On July 14, 1947, my parents met at the French Embassy in Tehran during a Bastille Day party. Mother was a beautiful young socialite and all the upper-class bachelors in Tehran had their eye on her. However, it was the divorced Russian man with a young son who stole her heart.

1980

In late July of that year, my parents finally gave in to my pleading and agreed that I could return home to Tehran for the rest of my summer break. On September 22, 1980, the day before my scheduled flight back to Paris, Iraq attacked Tehran. The airport was closed and my flight to Paris cancelled. Unable to leave the country, the coming year was pure hell for me and my family, as set forth in this chapter.

Why Read It?

ESCAPE TO
TEHRAN

Any story about the Russian Communist Revolution and the Fanatic Muslim takeover and destruction of civilization, human rights, and a beautiful country is always interesting to read about.

However, the feeling is more special when it is passed across generations for them to learn about their ancestral legacy.  Mojgan Rahbanoff narrates the story of her father and how her Russian grandparents’ decisions influenced him to live a life he least expected on his journey to Iran.

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