NASSIM ASSEFI

doctor/writer

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Books by Nassim
 
Aria
My first novel.
Published by Harcourt May 2007.
 
Jasmine is a cancer specialist and single
mother in Seattle, long estranged from her
Iranian parents and heritage. When faced
with the sudden accidental death of Aria,
her five-year-old daughter, she finds little
solace in the healing advice she’s prescribed
to her dying patients and their families.
Despite the loving support of her best friend
Dot, a “little person” studying the role of
dwarves in ancient Egypt, and her partner
Alexander, a retired war correspondent,
Jasmine is flattened by grief. Lacking
religious scaffolding or comforting rituals,
Jasmine abandons her life in exchange for
a one-way ticket around the world.

This deeply spiritual novel is the record of
Jasmine’s journey to find meaning after
devastating loss. Along the way, she writes
letters to three of her great loves, all now
dead, and to her devoted friends, who
encourage her to return home. Connecting
with fundamental elements of life, she
plants maize in Guatemala, meditates in
Tibet, and participates in traditional grieving
practices in Iran. It is only when Jasmine,
this modern American woman, connects with
her ancient heritage that she can finally heal.
 
This Side of Doctoring
In which I've written a chapter.
Edited by Eliza Lo Chin.
Published by Sage Press in 2003.
 
True stories by women from the
frontlines of medicine.  Any woman
contemplating a career as a physician
or already working in the profession
will gain a good deal of insight from
this collection of personal essays and
poems by female physicians over the
last century and a half. Organized into
categories such as "Internship and
Residency," "Mothering and Doctoring,"
and "Barriers," the anthology presents
feminine and feminist perspectives on
all aspects of a medical career.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Supplementary Info on Aria & Book Buying

 

 

CLICK HERE FOR A READER'S GUIDE/BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION QUESTIONS.

 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE FIRST 25 PAGES OF ARIA

 

CLICK BELOW TO LISTEN TO NASSIM READ FROM ARIA

(this may not work from all web browsers; if it doesn't work, try using internet explorer):

READING 1: ENTERING GUATEMALA

READING 2: ENTERING IRAN

 

See also Media & Review page for live reading from Nassim's novel on I-Tunes.

 

CLICK HERE FOR NASSIM'S EXPLANATION OF HER NOVEL'S TITLE ON A YOUTUBE VIDEO

 

CLICK HERE FOR ALL OF NASSIM'S HOMEMADE YOUTUBE VIDEOS ABOUT ARIA, WRITING, DOCTORING, CUBA, IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, IRAN, AND MORE.

 

CLICK HERE TO READ NASSIM'S BLOG ON THE DEBUT NOVELIST EXPERIENCE

 

HOW YOUR BOOK BUYING WILL SUPPORT CHARITIES

If you like to buy your books on-line, please use the links from this website, and I will receive up to 8% of sales on any books that you buy, which I will directly donate to my favorite non-profits related to this book (e.g. parental bereavement support groups, an advocacy organization for dwarfs, a non-partisan, secular organization promoting understanding between Iran and the US, and a circus for Afghan children).  I will also donate  the majority of my royalties from all book sales to these causes.

 

Or, help support an independent bookstore near you and click on the Book Sense link below. 

 

CLICK HERE FOR MY TOP 50 BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

 

CLICK HERE FOR MY SUMMER READING LIST

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to find an independent bookseller near you from our friends at BookSense.com

 

 

Click here for Mage Publishers, specializing in beautiful books on Persian culture and literature such as cookbooks, art, nonfiction, novels, and poetry