Guest Book Review by Gina Macdonald - Prisoner of Tehran

This year on Canada Reads, Arlene Dickinson championed a book called Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat. After hearing the debates and listening to Arlene speak about the book, I knew I had to read it. It was absolutely riveting. I read it in a day and a half, and the only reason I put it down was to sleep, eat, and maybe say hello to my parents. Nemat’s all-too-true story about her imprisonment in Evin was completely engrossing and sometimes read more like a horrifying novel than a memoir.

            The memoir begins with Nemat’s description of Pearson airport in Toronto, how it seemed like such a normal, welcoming place, and how she was lucky to be in a place like Canada. We are then taken back to Iran, where she describes her family life, her first encounter with her future husband, and finally her arrest after speaking out against the government at her school, at age 16. For the rest of the memoir, we learn about her trials in prison, her forced first marriage to a man she does not quite learn to love, and her relationships with the other women she meets in Evin.

            It would be impossible for me to correctly sum up the amount of terrible things described in the book as well as Nemat wrote them. As I mentioned, at some points it felt like I was reading a novel, a fictional account, rather than a true relation of these events, because it was at times too terrible for me to believe it actually happened.

            As well, this book was the first time Marina Nemat told her story; even her husband had no idea the things she went through in Evin until he read the manuscript. Prisoner of Tehran is a brave book to have been published, both because Nemat survived her ordeal and then decided to share her experiences with the world. Nemat’s strength really comes through in her writing, and it’s definitely something I would recommend anyone and everyone to read.

Book Review - Persuasion

First let me say that normally non-fiction is not for me, so at first I was skeptical when this book was recommended to me. However, I learned that it's good to keep an open mind because a good story will always be just that.
Contrary to the title, this is not just a book on how to persuade people. It is a very real, and very intimate story of how persuasion can change your life. While it's true that persuasion is a very useful tool in business and in your career, it applies equally to all  other areas of your life. Most importantly, we cannot forget that although it is helpful for us to persuade others, it is also important to be able to persuade yourself. If you need proof then you need only look at Arlene. At age 30, she was a single mother with joint custody of 4 children and no job. Within 10 years she became the CEO of Venture communications. The turning point in her life was when she persuaded herself that nothing is impossible.With persuasion Arlene was able to change her life for the better. Can you do the same?

Not only was this an inspirational story, but it was also very personal. Sometimes I find it hard to relate to someone who lives in the spotlight because it feels like they are on a whole other level from ourselves. But I found this story brought her down to earth and made her seem much more real. Most of you probably know Arlene from her role in Dragons Den, but very few people know about her back story and it was absolutely enthralling to hear of her journey to where she is now. It's not impossible to change your life. You just need the right perspective, and the right amount of persuasion. This was a great book with an important message. I strongly recommend this book to everyone.

"It's never too late to change your life. But the hardest person to sell on the idea of your potential is almost always yourself." - Arlene Dickinson

Next Weeks Review - Arlene Dickinson

Some of you may know who Arlene Dickinson is by name. For those of you who don't, she co-stars with a number of other entrepreneurs in CBC's The Dragon's Den and The Big Decision. She is also a professional Canadian marketer and CEO of Venture Communications.
However, she was not always so successful. 
Arlene Dickinson was born on October 8, 1956 in South Africa. Growing up, Arlene desired to be both a wife and a mother. After graduating high school at age 16 - a high score on her aptitude test allowed her to skip 2 years in kindergarten - she decided against going to college and became a wife at 19 and a mother at 21. Another 3 children were soon to follow. She worked odd jobs to help support her children but she couldn't hold a position for very long.
A few years later, a devastating divorce forced her into joint custody of her children where she would only be allowed to see them every second weekend. It was at this time that Arlene found her way into advertising. Needless to say she found her niche. Soon after she joined a start-up company called Venture Communications. In ten years time she became CEO.
As a big believer in honesty and storytelling Arlene Dickinson continues forward with success.
Her new novel Persuasion is already a bestseller for Harper Collins Canada and it's her first ever novel.
Keep an eye out for my review coming in a few days.