Paria Hassouri- Harvesting Rosewater (Podcast)

Paria Hassouri- Harvesting Rosewater Interview

Curious about indie publishing? Physician Paria Hassouri shares her debut journey to publish Harvesting Rosewater, centering a woman’s midlife awakening.

If you’ve ever been interested in the independent publishing process, you’re not alone. Today’s revealing conversation with Paria Hassouri, a pediatrician, whose self-published debut, Harvesting Rosewater, recently hit bookstores, takes readers inside her remarkable publishing process. Discover how Paria balances medicine and storytelling in today’s under-the-radar debut feature, which centers on a physician’s midlife awakening that I guarantee you will not be able to put down.

In our conversation, we explore:

Independent Publishing Adventures- Paria opens up about her unique indie publishing path, sharing how she navigated editing, securing book blurbs, and the creative freedom that comes with going her own way—plus the surprises that made the process both challenging and rewarding.
Uncovering Autofiction Elements From Paria’s Life- Drawing on her own childhood in Iran during the Islamic Revolution, Paria shares personal memories and reflections from this challenging period in her young life in her story. She shares how blending real-life experiences with fiction has allowed her to explore her own identity, belonging, and what she hopes readers will take away from her book.
The Women’s Life Freedom Movement- We explore how themes of women’s rights and resistance shaped this story, offering readers deeper insight into lives under restrictive systems and the tragedy that sparked the movement.

As a bonus for listeners, don’t miss this week’s companion list: 24 Compelling Books About Doctors Every Reader Should Read. Explore 24 novels on practicing medicine, from historical fiction to romance – there is a little something for every kind of reader. Patrons will also receive today’s printable checklist to bring on their next visit to the library.

Harvesting Rosewater Book Summary

“A moving exploration of being caught at a cultural and professional crossroads in midlife and of the transformative power of finally facing the stories we’ve buried to survive.” -Marjan Kamali, best-selling author of The Lion Women of Tehran

As the first female chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Mount Sinai, Farah Afshar is struggling with the demands of her job while adjusting to her newly divorced and empty-nester status. When the pretext of improper hijab leads to the arrest and death of Mahsa Amini, a global awareness of women’s fight for freedom in Iran ensues, triggering memories of the Islamic Revolution and Iran-Iraq War that Farah has held for forty years-along with a secret she has never shared with anyone.

Bombarded by the heightened momentum of the Women, Life, Freedom movement and threatened by a malpractice lawsuit, Farah’s life begins to unravel. Will escaping to wine country for a period of solitude and self-discovery be the answer, or is her only hope for moving forward-with her children, her career, and herself-sharing her truth with everyone? Most importantly, can they forgive her once they know what she did?

Moving between Manhattan, Tehran, and Paso Robles, Harvesting Rosewater explores how our unresolved histories infiltrate our adult lives, disrupting our search for identity, with the weight of living a dual existence ultimately confronting us in midlife.

Meet Paria Hassouri

Paria Hassouri is an author and pediatrician whose essays have appeared in The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and Huffington Post. Her memoir, Found in Transition: A Mother’s Evolution During Her Child’s Gender Change, was published in 2020. She has shared stories on stage with Expressing Motherhood, taught writing and advocacy classes at UCLA, and been featured widely for her work. A proud Iranian-American and mother of three, she lives in Los Angeles, where she continues to provide gender-affirming care for trans and gender-diverse youth.