October 15th, 2012 
CEO 
The idea for award-winning author Libby Fischer Hellmann’s latest novel was somewhat of an accident. During a conversation with a friend, Libby mentioned she was drawn to stories of women whose choices have been taken away from them, and had wondered: Do they simply surrender and become victims, or do some survive and even triumph? It was then that she recalled a personal story told to her years before– about young lovers who become trapped by history, family, and the inherent conflict of a political and cultural revolution. Thus the idea was born for her latest book, A Bitter Veil (Allium Press of Chicago).
Grounded in extensive research, the story’s backdrop is the Iranian Revolution – one of the most documented periods of world history. After poring through dozens of documents, articles and films, and interviewing at least five Iranian-Americans who lived in Iran during the revolution, their experiences made it possible for Libby to tell ‘Anna’s story.’ The result is a compelling and convincing tale, seasoned with powerful characters, that grabs the reader from the first page and thrusts them into one woman’s worst nightmare – making for a read not easy to put down.
