Naz Riahi

On the 30th anniversary of her Navy captain father’s political execution, Naz Riahi recalls her love for him, and reveals a persistent grief that is always with her.

Naz Riahi recalls her vibrant childhood in a suburb of Tehran, and considers how the harsh realities imposed by the still new Islamic Republic seeped into her family’s life.

When Naz Riahi was 9, she escaped tragedy in Iran only to be confronted by a cruel new world in America. In this personal essay, she recalls how food became her solace and her tool for assimilating.