On Thursday, February 1, 2007, The University of Akron's Common Reading Program adopted Dr. Debra Johanyak's memoir of her Iranian experience: Behind the Veil: An American Woman's Memoir of the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis. The Committee bypassed Jimmy Santiago Baca's book, A Place to Stand, in selecting Dr. Johanyak's book, as reported in the Associated Press.

Dr. Hooshang Amirahmadi, Director of the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Rutgers University, describes Johanyak's memoir this way: 'The dual identity of Dr. Debra Johanyak makes her narrative unique and more balanced than any previous books on the subject. It is a story that had to be told and must be read by all who are concerned about the state of US-Iran relations and wish to see them improve.'

Dr. Johanyak hopes to offer a message of peace that will help to pave the way for healing the past and building a future between these two countries.

To purchase Behind the Veil: An American Woman's Memoir of the 1979 Iran Hostage Crisis.

For more information, visit the book's website.