Coming August 15, 2025: Harvesting Rosewater:

As the first female chief of OBGYN at Mount Sinai, Farah Afshar is struggling with the demands of her job while adjusting to her newly divorced and empty-nester status. When the pretext of improper hijab leads to the arrest and death of Mahsa Amini, a global awareness of women’s fight for freedom in Iran ensues, triggering memories of the Islamic Revolution and Iran-Iraq War that Farah has held onto for forty years—along with a secret she has never shared with anyone.

Bombarded by news from the heightened momentum of the Women, Life, Freedom movement and threatened by a malpractice lawsuit, Farah’s life begins to unravel. Will escaping to wine country for a period of solitude and self-discovery be the answer, or is her only hope for piecing her life back together and finding a way forward—with her children, her career, and herself—through sharing the truth with everyone? Most importantly, can they forgive her once they know what she did?

Moving between Manhattan, Tehran, and Paso Robles, Harvesting Rosewater is an own-voice novel exploring how denial of our past and unresolved histories infiltrate our adult lives, disrupting our search for identity, with the weight of living a dual existence ultimately confronting us in midlife.

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Praise for Harvesting Rosewater:

A moving exploration of being caught at a cultural and professional crossroads in midlife and of the transformative power of finally facing the stories we've buried to survive.  --Marjan Kamali, best-selling author of The Lion Women of Tehran and The Stationery Shop 

This haunting and hopeful novel presents the journey of Farah, a devoted doctor and mother whose American life begins to fracture under the weight of secrets from her Iranian childhood. Harvesting Rosewater is an engaging, deeply felt story that shimmers with themes of identity, resilience, the struggles of the immigrant experience, and the long arc of healing. — Liese O’Halloran Schwarz, author of What Could Be Saved

Harvesting Rosewater is a deeply human, beautifully layered story that explores what it means to live between cultures, between truths, and between the past and present. Farah’s journey is heartbreaking, fierce, and ultimately redemptive. This novel isn’t just about one woman’s reckoning—it’s a testament to the power of truth, memory, and the courage it takes to finally stop running.– Dianne C. Braley, multi-award-winning author of The Summer Before and The Silence in the Sound

My heart broke and then healed as I read this powerful novel, swept up in Farah’s courageous journey from Iran to America. Her transformation from a guilt-ridden teenager carrying a devastating secret to a brave woman who saves and cherishes lives consumed me. Paria Hassouri captures the beauty of Iran alongside the brutal erosion of its citizens’ rights under religious autocracy, while also celebrating Farah’s deepening awe of the immense diversity around her: the magic of love in all its forms, the spectrum of gender, the dedication of healers, and the wonder of friendship. Through it all, the novel explores the struggle to balance this complex world with the demands of marriage and motherhood. I loved this book.”—Randy Susan Meyers, International bestselling author, The Many Mothers of Ivy Puddingstone

“In Harvesting Rosewater, Paria Hassouri deftly and compassionately explores identity through the lens of Farah—newly divorced and trying to reset her life in California Wine Country on an extended leave from her job as the chief of OBGYN at a New York City hospital—as she learns what it takes to see, understand, and accept who we (and others) are. Along the way, Hassouri captivates readers with a beautiful window into Persian culture juxtaposed against the authoritarian regime that drove Farah's family to flee to America when Farah was a child. The detours into wine education and tantalizing food are icing on the cake.” –Kristin Koval, author of Penitence

A powerful, eye-opening narrative that transports readers from the rich, traditional life of a young girl growing up in Iran to her complex, modern identity as a doctor in the United States. This beautifully written story offers an intimate lens into Persian customs, family dynamics, and the quiet strength of women who came of age under a tyrannical regime. The author tackles several tough issues including cultural repression and gender transitioning, —with remarkable sensitivity and deep respect. An unforgettable read that is a compelling blend of resilience, identity, and hope.—Muffy Walker; award winning novelist and the author of Memory Weavers

In this impressive debut, Paria Hassouri evokes the painful divide felt by her protagonist, Farah, who comes with her family to America in pursuit of education and professional achievement only to discover, in middle age, that she has lost a true sense of herself.  Hassouri writes with depth and emotion of Farah’s escape to a rural haven where she sheds the denial and distance that have been her survival mode. The rosewater of the title is the healing balm of memory, tears, family, childhood, and culture. —Anne Matlack Evans, author of The Light Through the Branches

Found in Transition: A Mother’s Evolution During her Child’s Gender Change

My memoir is about my journey as a mother while my daughter transitioned from male to female. The book weaves my story of growing up as an immigrant and outsider into my daughter’s story.

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Toni Morrison said, “If there’s a book you really want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” My memoir is the parent perspective book I needed to read when my daughter came out, yet I couldn’t find. But this is not just a memoir about a pediatrician mother and her transitioning teen. It covers universal topics such as identity, belonging, self-discovery, unconditional love, family, and growth. It is the story of a modern American family.

Praise for Found in Transition:

“A beautiful, honest, utterly engaging story of a mother’s love. It will inspire your heart and stay with you for a long time,” Tembi Locke, New York Times best-selling author of From Scratch.

“In this engrossing and sometimes heart-wrenching account, pediatrician Hassouri describes Ava’s…transition from male to female with approachable, empathetic language that bridges gaps in understanding about the transition process. The author’s unflinching honesty about her initial ignorance regarding trans issues is refreshing, and her unwavering adherence to truth makes the story both compelling and edifying…a moving and relatable story of love and heartache. A unique parenting story that has plenty to say about families in general,” Kirkus Reviews.

“Found in Transition is a narrative of hope for anyone who has ever navigated identity. Hassouri lays bare her own struggles, ultimately demonstrating the idea of family as a verb, proving such stories are vital to this cultural moment, and that love indeed endures,” Shawna Kenney, author and writing instructor, UCLA Extension Writers Program.

“Found in Transition is simply beautiful. Heart-opening and mind-expanding. Paria invites us on her journey from resistance to acceptance of her daughter Ava’s trans identity, and in doing so reminds us that spiritual growth takes commitment and work, and that to love and accept one another as we are is the greatest gift we can give each other,” Scott Stabile, author of Big Love: The Power of Living with a Wide-Open Heart.

“A brave, bare, humble, and honest portrayal of a mother coming to understand her child’s experience. This much-needed book gives voice to the common journey of bewildered parents trying to do right by their child, especially those supporting adolescents with gender dysphoria—disbelief, anxiety, protectiveness, uncertainty, and love, love, love. Found in Transition is also a great resource for medical professionals to understand the real experience of families with transgender teens,” Amy Weimer, MD, Medical Director, UCLA Gender Health Program.

“I really can’t imagine a better book not only to help parents going through similar struggles, but also, truly, to help us all rethink the expectations we impose on our kids from the day they are born. Paria Hassouri, blindsided and fearful at first, shows us what it looks like to find acceptance and grace, and how transformative and uplifting that awakening can be if we are open to it,” Hilary Liftin, author, Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper.

“In this open, honest, and relatable memoire, Paria Hassouri invites the reader on a journey through the initial resistance and eventual embrace of her child’s gender transition. Found in Transition speaks to the power of parental love and trusting our children to grow into the people they know themselves to be,” Abigail C. Saguy, UCLA professor of sociology and author of Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are.

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