#SaturdaySpotlight is on Seyed Nourashrafeddin & In Search of Rain from Motel Qu to Pittsburgh

Good Morning and Welcome to the first Saturday Spotlight in September!

WHERE has the time gone? Seems like only yesterday we were turning the calender to 2026 and now it's more than half over. Football season has started and it's my grandson's senior year so we're soaking up all the fun we can.

Speaking of fun, I've said before that there's not much that's more fun for me than introducing you to a brand new author. Welcome Syed! Tell us about your memoir, In Search of Rain from Motel Qu to Pittsburgh...

Thank you for having me, Pamela. I had a difficult past; from the experience of living in war, poverty, and working on various jobs to help with the family economy during my childhood, to challenging with my schooling and vitiligo and my father's addiction and incarceration and imprisonment. With all hardship, I finished my academic studies in prestigious university of Iranand finally emigrating to America as a health science scholar and discovered myself as a respectful scientist in the field of Molecular Medicine.

And then I told myself that I have to publish my life story to motivate and inspire others who have a same challenge. Also, I want to be voice of my people trapped in the jail called “oppression” by tyrant Islamic regime. And more importantly, I want to say to democratic country’s people to take care of your country, and cherish your freedom and democracy.

Here is the Blurb: Imagine thatyou are a child who was born in a large family, and during your childhood, a revolution took place in your country and everything undergoes change and transformation, and at the same time, the country is involved in the longest war of the century, and the worry and stress caused by the war has influenced everything so much that the next generation will call the children who spent their childhood in this era as the “burnt generation.” Imagine that your mother is illiterate and your father is addicted to heroin and has been imprisoned,and you have had to work for years of your childhood because of family problems. In addition to these, it gets to the point where you realize that you are suffering from vitiligo, an incurable skin disease, which gradually swallows your beauty and constantly bothers your soul. What future did you imagine for yourself? What happened to you after forty years?

In Search of Rain from Motel Qu to Pittsburgh is a readable and enlightening book, and a deeply personal story of a man who, with effort and determination, was able to overcome the limitations and forced circumstances of fate to inspire and motivate people all around the world.

Read an excerpt on my Website and get your copy at Amazon.

Sounds fascinating, Syed! Thank you for sharing your story with the world! Now please give us your bio...

Thank you, Pamela. I hope my book touches lives and encourages people all over the worl and I appreciate the opportunity you have given me to share it on your blog. My photo and bio are below. People can learn more about me

Seyed Nourashrafeddin was born in 1974 in a large family in the northern region of Iran. His childhood unfolded during the turbulent years of the Islamic Revolution and the Iran-Iraq War. Raised by a resilient and illiterate mother and a father who battled heroin addiction and incarceration, he started working to help the family economy when he was a child. He completed his primary and secondary school at his home city, Motel Qu, and worked most of his childhood. He was not a good student in school and had no interest in studying. So, he failed most classes and was rejected in the first grade of middle school. One day, as a poor student, he received a small New Year’s gift from the school, and this was a trigger for him to study and follow the advice of his grandfather who used to say that he should become a scientist! Despite all hardships and struggling with vitiligo, he finished his schooling and graduated from prestigious Iranian universities. In 2012, he immigrated to the United States as a health sciences scholar and obtained a PhD in Molecular Medicine. He introduced cutting-edge genomic techniques to Iran for the first time. Today, he is a succesful scientist with numerous articles on cancer and reproductive health. His memoir, In Search of Rain from Motel Qu to Pittsburgh, reflects his unwavering determination, his persistence, and his pursuit of a brighter future. 

I hope you enjoyed today's spotlight friends and that you'll come back weekly for another great author and book!

Until next time, take care, God bless and read happy!

PamT