My Common Pain is a literary account of the collective experience of a generation that culminated in the “Women, Life, Freedom” uprising in 1401. In this work, the author has not sought to provide accurate and documented historiography, nor a mere retelling of events; rather, by using a fictional narrative, he has attempted to recreate the suffering, hopes, and moments of resistance.

By creating fictional characters inspired by reality, the author creates a world in which every reader can recognize a part of themselves. These heroes are made up of the mind, but the similarity of their fate and experiences to the victims and political prisoners of those days reflects a truth that is collective and shared. In contrast, the interrogators and security agents are not specific individual figures, but a combination of the bitter and repeated realities of repression.

The book, in twelve chapters titled: “Woman, the Life of Freedom,” “War with Blackness,” “The Sun in a Cage,” “There is No Light in the Darkness,” “I Am Not Alone,” “Man – the Decisive Presence of Miracles,” “The Meaning of Life in Days of Silence,” “The Devil’s Plot,” “Salvation in the Darkness,” “Public Love,” “We Stand to the End,” and “A Dancer Crosses the Threshold of Compulsion,” takes the reader from the burning streets and passionate universities to dark cells and moments of hope for liberation.

My Common Pain reminds us that even in the darkest moments, faith in freedom and the power of human empathy never fades. The characters and narratives may be fictional, but the desire for liberation and justice is a living truth that beats at the heart of this book.

What makes this book stand out is the author’s ability to connect individual and collective experience. Rather than simply narrating street scenes or describing repression, he reveals the characters’ inner moments, from anxiety and fear to hope and love. In this way, the reader is not just an outside observer of the events, but finds himself at the heart of them. In addition to recreating the political and social atmosphere of an era, My Common Pain is a thought-provoking work about being human; how in the midst of violence, friendship, solidarity, and dreaming are still possible. The book’s prose, with a poetic yet unadorned tone, straddles the line between memory, poetry, and fiction, and it is this combination that distinguishes it from many similar works. The dedications, subtle references to cultural symbols, and short but powerful narratives all testify that the present work is not merely a document of the passionate days of a movement, but a text for contemplating the fate of man in the face of oppression.

This book is recommended for anyone who wants to go beyond news reports and explore the spirit of a generation of protestors. It will be a profound and moving experience for students, researchers in the social sciences and human rights, and for any reader seeking a more human understanding of liberation movements. It is also a valuable choice for those who want to understand how literature can be a voice of people’s suffering and hope.

Title: I am a common pain

the writer: Wow. Cuff

First published: Tehran (online), September 1404