Foreigner - From an Iranian village to New York City, and the lights that led the way

Praise for Foreigner...

"a compelling story that will leave the reader in tears one moment and laughter the next ... an easy read that is poignant and at times provocative, humorous, at other times sad, and yet always informative and filled with hope ... I encourage you to join Ahdieh and Chapman for a surprising and powerful journey in which laughter mingles with tears and sorrow turns to joy." - Eric S. Mondschein

"Hussein Ahdieh’s remarkable journey from a rural village in Iran to the director of a university in New York is not just another feel-good story about the American Dream at its best. Told with humour, Ahdieh gives us an intimate history of the Bahá’í Faith in Iran from the point of view of a family that helped shape that history. He also shares his personal account of the turbulent 1960s as he helped educate some of the ‘tired, poor, and huddled masses’ of Americans forgotten in the country of their birth. Buy one copy of Foreigner for yourself, and a dozen more for family and friends who could use an uplifting story and a good laugh." - Peter Murphy

"To all peoples who have come from immigrant parents and grandparents ... to all those interested in resilience and what inspires that resilience ... to all children of immigrants who now wonder but never asked what their parents’ or grandparent’s life was really like ... to all struggling peoples still on their migration path who could use, now and then, a little laughter laced with hope to ease the way ... to all who find inspiration from the longsuffering and patient men and women who somehow pushed through their moment in history and made it better ... to all restless young adults and elder sages alike who honour those who have met violent oppression with courage, community building based on trustworthiness, skills and character ... this story is meant for you. For all of us." - Mara Khavari

About the Author

Dr Hussein Ahdieh was born in Nayríz, Iran, a sixth-generation Bábí/Bahá’í. In his teens he moved to the United States where he earned a Master’s­­ degree in European Intellectual History and a Doctorate in Education. He was one of the founders of the world-renowned Harlem Preparatory School in New York City and the Director of Higher Educational Program at Fordham University. In addition to Awakening: A History of the Bábí and Bahá’í Faiths in Nayriz, which has been translated into six languages, Dr Ahdieh co-authored ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in New York (translated into three languages), a concise, informative history of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s activities during his visits to the area; and A Way Out of No Way: Harlem Prep –Transforming Dropouts into Scholars, 1967-1977. His new book The Calling (2018) is a comprehensive study about the life of Táhirih and her American contemporaries, in the English and Persian languages.