You're No Stranger Here

By: Houshang Moradi Kermani

Narrated by: Caroline Croskery

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

The old saying, “It takes a village to raise a child” rings true in this autobiographical novel. Houshang Moradi Kermani grew up in the village of Sirch to become Iran’s eminent author of fiction for children and young adults. These are the many true events of his life that became the inspiration for his books, several of which have been made into television serials and feature films.

With a mother who died in his infancy and a father who suffers from a mental illness, young Hooshoo is raised by his grandmother, Nanehbaba, the village medicine woman and his grandfather, Aghbaba, the village headman, both with whom he has a very close relationship. After their passing, he is challenged at a very early age to cope with his circumstances.

His love for reading and writing becomes his escape tool for survival from the pain he feels. He spends a blissful and nostalgic early youth with his grandparents in the village but must eventually move to the city in his adolescence to live in an orphanage school. His experiences in Kerman form his destiny, make him strong, and lead him to the place in life he knew he was meant to reach.

©2017 Caroline Croskery (P)2021 Caroline Croskery

I enjoyed listening to this audio book

I selected this book in English so my non-Iranian book club members could read it.
For me, there were several parts to this book
1. translation: the translation was nicely done … as Iranian reading the book, I felt Ms. Croskery was true to culture and done a great job with translation

2. Story: I was amazed of Mr Houshang Moradi Kermani’s resilience, the hardship he had gone through, and existence of hope and faith in his life ((at least from 5 years old till end of high school).
While the author does not directly advertise hope, but his attitude in each step of his life is full of hope.
3. Geographic location: while I am from Iran and even visited Kerman but I was not aware of certain geographic and climatic factors of his village and his mom village. Mr Kermani written words, while simple, could bring clear picture and difference of those location
4. About 73 years ago, few years after end of World War II, Iran had its own internal turbulences, certainly small village of Sirch with population of 1650 with 450 families in 2023 - certainly had much less population in 1950 it was much less) … Kermani indirectly shows economical struggle of families had in small villages and reasons they gradually leave villages and migrate to larger city
5., Finally, Kermani in this book nicely presents the old saying of “it takes a village to raise a child”
Any way I loved the book and recommend it highly

Slice of Life

This book is a lovely slice of life look at a young man who follows his life from a small boy all the way through his young adulthood. He suffers lots of sadness, but has great joy and great success as well. It is funny poignant, and a true story also, I was delighted with the narrator who has a easy to listen to voice.

perfect story, perfect narration.

when I started listening to the audiobook I fell in love with Caroline's calm voice. The story itself is also a fascinating memoir. The part when the child, Hoshoo visited her motherland, Shahdad and how he imagined the palm trees as her mother brought me into tears.