“A moving and revealing story of a troubled country’s past.”- Kirkus Review
Must Read 🏆 Discovery
“An enjoyable, heartwarming tale of dedication and selflessness to a worthy cause “
After fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor working at a prestigious hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dr. Mehdi Mostamand believed he had it all. But then, on one cold, snowy day in 1965, he saw an image that changed his life forever: a picture of a twelve-year-old blind boy in the newspaper rekindled old memories and reminded him of why he chose to become a doctor in the first place.
Driven by his desire to help ailing children in remote Afghan villages, Dr. Mostamand gave up his comfortable job in cosmopolitan Kabul and moved to Herat, where he could reach the most affected children on the brink of becoming blind. A lifelong follower of Rumi’s philosophy and poetry, he met every challenge by recalling and living by Rumi’s words. “We are not in pursuit of happiness; we are searching for a reason to be happy. That reason gives meaning to life, and that meaning is our purpose in life.” This became his mantra as he found his purpose in life, forged a connection with the very blind boy who inspired his mission, and helped save thousands of children from a painful infection that led to blindness, and more severely, the devastating living conditions that came with it in rural Afghanistan.
Open Your Eyes is a raw, emotional, and uplifting true story that recounts the odds one man must overcome to save Afghanistan’s future. It gives readers a glimpse into the ill-fated country before the emergence of the Taliban and the two-decade longest American war that followed.
Review on Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59116826-open-your-eyes
Amazon author page
https://www.amazon.com/author/mostamand
Review on NetGalley
This is a remarkable, true story about an eye specialist doctor and his fight against an easily and widely spread, chronic eye-infections (Trachoma) and how a blind boy affected by Trachoma and Rumi's philosophy, inspired him in his fight against the disease. Told vividly from the eyes of his son (who also happens to be the author of this book), we learn more personally about not only the doctor's (named Dr. Mehdi Mostamand) fight and struggle in combatting the widespread,chronic but preventable eye-infections among the children in the rural areas,particularly in Herat where its condition is the most critical,but also about his characters and personality as a person, his hopes and dreams, his fears and struggles, his happiness and sadness as well as his inspirations and motivations. Uniquely, Dr. Mehdi is always encouraging his children to read his personal diary for them to know more about him. This captivating story is written in a story-telling style, with several engaging conversations between the characters, which makes it more accessible and readable to the readers. The story unfolds beginning from the period before the arrival of the Taliban and until the invasion of the Soviet In Afghanistan,in which we learn about Dr. Mehdi's obstacles and struggles in building his own,independent organization named Mujadella Trachoma which is also influenced by the changes in the social and the political climates of the country. The author's did a very fine job in providing us with more information about his country's unique culture through the additional footnotes that are widespread across the chapters. What i find most interesting is lots of quotes from the philosophies of the Persian poet, Rumi and some Sufi mysticism lectures in this story, from which Dr. Mehdi's got his motivations, inspirations and drives from. Among some of the quotes of Rumi's which i find interesting are: "In generosity and helping others,be like the river In compassion and grace,be like the sun In concealing other faults,be like the night In anger and fury,be like the dead In modesty and humility, be like the soil In patience,be like the ocean". "Wealth is in your heart and your thoughts; if you have much,give of your wealth. If you have little, give of your heart". In short, this is a truly inspiring as well as very eye-opening story of a doctor's selfless and endless dedications in saving lives and bringing hopes to the people affected with the chronic conjunctivitis as told in the story that it is a widely spread disease but preventable with early detection and proper treatments,awareness and knowledge that is the main message and purpose of this book. For that reason, i hope that more readers out there would give this book a chance by reading and buying this book and gives it the hypes and attention it needed in creating awareness of this widespread disease as well as in raising the fundings for the operations for the blind children around the world as every sales from this book is dedicated for that cause. This story moved me so much in so many ways. It is nice and heart-warming to know more about Dr. Mehdi, his family and his close friends who also play central roles in bringing success to his work. I also feel privileged in being given the chance to read and to learn in depth more about this disease which prior to this was unfamiliar to me. I've had an experience in the past where one of my cats suddenly contracted some eye-infections in both of its eyes which eventually causing one of its eye to go blind while the other eye became partially blurred. So, that is just how serious eye-infections can get without early detection or prevention and the proper treatments. Kudos to Dr. Mehdi for his heartfelt and endless dedications in fighting the disease and to Dr. Farid for sharing about his father's inspirational journey in fighting the disease and for continuing his legacy through this story and creating more awareness about the disease. As Dr. Mehdi says, "People don't remember us for our career,wealth, or accomplishments. They remember us for the changes we make in people's lives"
https://www.netgalley.com/book/236844/review/878201
Reviews On Amazon
Open Your Eyes by Dr. Farid Mostamand is the type of book that truly is a gift to humanity. It is beautiful experiencing when an enlightened soul is moved towards doing what makes him happy in life. Dr. Mostamand had the education and resources to live very well in Kabul, but he decided to follow his heart and help those less fortunate in the Afghan province of Herat. Despite the struggles along the way, he chose to have hope and keep going through adversity.
This book touched me on a personal level. I have been losing my eyesight to a rare genetic condition over the past 15 years. But I can only imagine how my life would have been different if I was given this type of hope along with my diagnosis. Dr. Mostamand gave so much hope to the 14-year-old Jamal whose eyesight could not be saved. It is sad that after all these years, ophthalmologists still struggle to properly give bad news to young people without filling them with dismay and despair.
I want to thank Dr. Farid Mostamand for shedding light on this preventable eye disease amongst the youth population in developing countries and for allowing your father’s light to still shine even without his presence. He will not only save more young people from preventable blinding eye diseases, but he will also fundamentally change their lives. This book was also informative about Afghan culture, the importance of family, and the beautiful poetry written by Rumi. I also have found great peace in Rumi’s poetry as it offers me hope and joy. God bless the beautiful soul of the late Dr. Mostamand. He truly was an angel on earth.
Farid Mostamand’s story about his father is both inspiring and reassuring. It is reassuring to know that people like his father exist in the world. His father came up an article in a Kabul newspaper about a 14-year-old boy who lost his sight due to a curable disease called chronic conjunctivitis. The doctor goes on to form an organization to go to the small villages in Afghanistan to cure this disease.
This book talks about Afghan customs. It even has links to The Lonely Planet’s book on traveling in Afghanistan. It was a most enjoyable book. Please read it.
- Must read 🏆
An enjoyable, heartwarming tale of dedication and selflessness to a worthy cause
SYNOPSIS
After fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor working at a prestigious hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan, Dr. Mehdi Mostamand believed he had it all. But then, on one cold, snowy day in 1965, he saw an image that changed his life forever: a picture of a twelve-year-old blind boy in the newspaper rekindled old memories and reminded him of why he chose to become a doctor in the first place.
Driven by his desire to help ailing children in remote Afghan villages, Dr. Mostamand gave up his comfortable job in cosmopolitan Kabul and moved to Herat, where he could reach the most affected children on the brink of becoming blind. A lifelong follower of Rumi’s philosophy and poetry, he met every challenge by recalling and living by Rumi’s words. “We are not in pursuit of happiness; we are searching for a reason to be happy. That reason gives meaning to life, and that meaning is our purpose in life.” with it in rural Afghanistan.
This was an enjoyable, heart-warming tale of dedication and selflessness to a worthy cause.
Interweaving his father’s journals with his own recollections, the author highlights his father’s legacy. It is beautifully written with a storytelling cadence that is easy to fall into as the dialogue unfolds among the characters. We also learn the history and culture of the region through the settings described, and the language used.
The doctor’s calm humility and grace in his personality shine through, particularly in the interviews with the media when he responded to any negative nay-sayers with confidence and purpose. His passion is also seen when he is confronted with bureaucracy, and his voice can be heard through the words:
These children are the future doctors, teachers, engineers, and scientists of our country. If we let them go blind, how can we put our country on the path of progress and advancement?
I loved the way he used his journals to inspire his children, rather than keeping it personal to just remind him of his past. Through his writings, he engaged them and taught them valuable lessons, and also shared part of himself:
Through his journal and his own stories, we learned about his deepest feelings. We learned what moved him, what made him happy, and why Mahatma Gandhi was his hero. […] We also learned how Dad felt about God and religion and why he loved poetry, Rumi, and Ismael Balkhi. His journal was a window into his soul.
As the narrative charts his journey to engage organizations to fund and support his initiatives, we also see the upheaval of the political climate around them. Alongside this explosive environment, there are sweet family moments of bonding and love. It was heartbreaking to see his father — a beacon of optimism, and guiding light for the entire family — suffer from illness and depression, and eventually, mental deterioration as the years went by. I am grateful to have learned about his contributions, and also enjoyed the photos included at the end of the memoir.
This was a lovely read by a talented author to create this engaging blend of fact and constructed recollection into an enjoyable memoir. I was thrilled to learn of the dedication of this doctor and his contribution to the medical field in their country. Writing this story honors his life and his work, and I thank the author for sharing what was special about his father. I would recommend it to other readers, and I look forward to any further work by the author.