"Publishers Weekly: ""This earnest remembrance from Perry tells the life story of Mona Mahmudnizhad, a 16-year-old girl hanged in Iran in 1983 for her Bah�'� faith. Perry grew up in Shiraz, Iran, and was a childhood friend of Mona's throughout the persecutions that swept the country and led to Mona's death alongside nine other teenage girls. Mona's father, a religious scholar and Bah�'� Faith leader with whom she shared a deep spiritual connection, was also executed. With copious quotes from Mona's high school essays on her burgeoning spirituality, Perry, writing with her playwright husband, seeks to educate readers about Bah�'� Faith, which was created by Iranian Bah�'u'll�h in 1863 and takes an all-encompassing view of faith traditions with a focus on service and prayer. Her perspective as a fervent adherent enlivens the lessons. Though Perry is a passionate storyteller, the narrative of Mona's life--her early education, the shock of the revolution, and her outspoken public support of Bah�'� Faith--sometimes relies on mystical anecdotes, such as Mona's visions that warn her ""capacity for empathy"" will one day lead to suffering. However, for those with limited knowledge of the Bah�'� Faith, this book will be of great service explaining the tenets of a religion practiced by five million people worldwide. Perry luridly illustrates the intolerance and cruelty of Iranian religious authorities after the Revolution of 1979 while also paying homage to a brave young woman killed for her faith.(BookLife)"" Feb 12, 2018 SOME READER REVIEWS: ""It was such an honor and privilege to read this special new book ... Words cannot describe how deeply my heart was touched."" -- L.G. ""I am an avid reader but 'Our Friend Mona' was unlike anything I have ever read before ... I obviously have never met Mona but I feel as if I know her."" -- S.M. ""I couldn't put it down! It reads like a work of fiction ... I found myself wanting to tell everyone about what I was reading."" -- E.S. ""One is brought to tears reading the story ... A beautiful story on the indomitable strength of the human spirit!"" -- S.K. ""Words cannot do justice to how sweet, moving, informative and inspiring it is ... Please if you can read it ... You will be glad you did"" -- M.G."