A Time to Betray

I just finished reading A Time to Betray by Reza Khalili. I have to say I was blown away. I never thought I’d read an autobiography that was so thrilling, suspenseful and emotional that I couldn’t put it down. The book reads like a fiction spy novel, but is Reza’s actual memoirs about growing up in Iran and living through the Iranian revolution.

The book describes Reza’s childhood in Iran under the Shah and follows his relationship with his two closest friends, Naser and Kezem. While Reza is in the US for college, the Iranian people under the leadership of Ayatollah Khomeini oust the Shah and begin an Islamic revolution that promises freedom and prosperity. Reza returns home after getting his computer engineering degree and joins the Revolutionary Guards with Kazem who is a devout Shi’a Muslim. However after seeing things like the American Embassy hostage crisis, friends arrested tortured and executed by the regime, and the beginning of a war with Iraq, Reza becomes disillusioned with the Revolution and decides to go to America to tell the CIA what he knows in hopes that America can help save his country. He ends up working for the CIA as a spy in the Revolutionary Guards. The book takes a deep look into his emotional struggle as he leads a double life, fights guilt over betraying his family, friends and country, and tries to be there for his wife and young son while being pulled in every other direction by the Guards and the CIA.

Several things jumped out at me about the book. It describes history that I knew very little about. I had only a vague knowledge about the revolution or the Iran-Iraq war in the ‘80s. It was fascinating to learn about these events from a personal perspective as well. It was also heart gripping to watch Reza’s struggle to keep his disloyalty a secret from his family even when that meant they hated him for supporting the revolution. It gave me a graphic association to Evin Prison where American-Iranian pastor Saeed Abedini was recently jailed for his Christian faith. It reinforced a growing love for Iran and Persian culture. Another element that began to show up in the end was his growing disillusionment with how the US deals with Iran. He cites how after all these years, the situation in Iran is still the same and the US keeps trying to accomplish appeasement strategies that have failed in the past. It was a very interesting commentary.

I would definitely recommend this book if you have an interest in the Middle East and Iran in history or current events, or if you’re just looking for an exciting (nonfiction) read.