Concealed Carry for Self-Defense

Esther Amini, the American-born daughter of Persian-Jewish parents who had fled Mashhad, Iran, grew up in Queens, New York, during the freewheeling 1960s. In her debut memoir, "Concealed," Amini tells the story of being caught between these two worlds: the dutiful daughter of tradition-bound parents who hungers for more self-determination than tradition allows.

Exploring the roots of her father's deep silences and explosive temper, her mother's flamboyance and flights from home, and her own sense of indebtedness to her Iranian-born brothers, Amini uncovers the story of her parents' early years in Mashhad, Iran's holiest Muslim city. She delves into the little-known history of Mashhad's underground Jews, the incident that steeled her mother's resolve to leave, and her parents' arduous journey to the U.S., where they faced a new threat to their traditions: the threat of freedom.

Determined to protect his daughter from corruption, Amini's father prohibits talk, books, education, and pushes an early Persian marriage instead. Amini finds herself caught between the demands of loyalty and legacy, wondering whether she should resist or succumb to her father's wishes.

As Amini comes to see what she stands to lose – a family and community bound by food, celebrations, sibling escapades, and unexpected acts of devotion – she also recognizes what she stands to gain. In this poignant, funny, entertaining, and uplifting memoir, Amini documents with keen eye, quick wit, and warm heart how family members build, buoy, wound, and save one another across generations.

Praise for "Concealed" highlights the depth and resonance of Amini's story. Psychoanalyst and author Susan Mailer calls it "a riveting portrait of her family life as the daughter of Iranian-Jewish immigrants in New York City," while author Sally Koslow praises Amini's ability to make readers "cheer for her as you ponder the eternal question: how do we survive our families?" Patty Dann, author of "Mermaids," lauds Amini as a "writer...who has produced a wonderful memoir," and Ronda Spinak, Artistic Director of the Jewish Women's Theatre, describes the memoir as "a moving, honest and compelling" unveiling of the "little-known world of Persian-Jewish immigrants in America."

Esther Amini is a writer, painter, and psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice. Her short stories have appeared in Elle, Lilith, Tablet, The Jewish Week, and Proximity, and she was awarded Aspen Words' Emerging Writer Fellowship in 2016 based on an early draft of "Concealed." The Jewish Women's Theatre named her Artist-in-Residence in 2019. Amini lives in New York City with her husband, and "Concealed" is her debut memoir.

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