MY NAME MEANS FIRE
A Memoir
An unflinching and stunning debut memoir of an Iranian girl’s coming-of-age experiencing abuse, war, and superstition—and her survival through dissociative identity disorder, which offered her an inner world into which she could escape
When she was a child, Atash Yaghmaian’s home life was unpredictable: a confusing mix of love and terror. Outside of her home, Iran was also on fire. Her reality of abuse, war, gender oppression, and religious superstition left her feeling unsafe everywhere. So, she left reality and disassociated into a place she called the House of Stone: a building in a magical forest full of peaceful creatures,
An unflinching and stunning debut memoir of an Iranian girl’s coming-of-age experiencing abuse, war, and superstition—and her survival through dissociative identity disorder, which offered her an inner world into which she could escape
When she was a child, Atash Yaghmaian’s home life was unpredictable: a confusing mix of love and terror. Outside of her home, Iran was also on fire. Her reality of abuse, war, gender oppression, and religious superstition left her feeling unsafe everywhere. So, she left reality and disassociated into a place she called the House of Stone: a building in a magical forest full of peaceful creatures, kind talking trees, and volcanoes. Inhabiting this world are 9 beings, each different parts of Atash, who would be her salvation from the external horrors of her outer world.
Set against the backdrop of the Iranian Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini’s regime, and the 8-year Iran-Iraq War, My Name Means Fire is Atash’s story of survival as she experiences tragic events including sexual abuse, a mother who subjected her to superstitious rituals, and the horrors of war. In chapters alternating with what’s happening in her outside world, her other parts—each named after a color—tell the story of her inner world, giving readers an understanding of what it’s like to be inside the consciousness of someone who is multiple.
Honest, powerful, and moving, My Name Means Fire is a bold narrative that challenges the stigma and misinformation around dissociative identity disorder (DID) and ultimately reckons with what it takes to survive.
- Beacon Press
- Hardcover
- October 2025
- 248 Pages
- 9780807020722
Buy the Book
$26.95
About Atash Yaghmaian
Atash Yaghmaian is a writer and psychotherapist whose stories and articles about mental health and Iran have appeared in Ms. magazine, the New York Daily News, The Mighty, and Thrive Global, among others. Born in Tehran, Atash migrated to the United States alone at the age of 19, fleeing war, trauma, and abuse. She blogs at atashyaghmaian.com.
Praise
“[A] searing debut memoir shares what it was like to grow up with dissociative identity disorder in Iran during the revolution.” —Library Journal, Starred Review
“A haunting memoir that excavates the weight of names, family mythology, and inherited trauma.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A revelatory look inside a unique mind.” —Publishers Weekly
“Transformative . . . Atash Yaghmaian channels the power of her fiery name to illuminate a path toward hope and healing.” —Shelf Awareness
“I was riveted by this searing ode to the resiliency of the human psyche, rich in beauty and devastation.” —Melissa Febos, National Book Critics Circle Award winner and author of Girlhood
Discussion Questions
1. What is the significance of Atash’s name, and how does it shape her identity throughout the story?
2. How does Atash’s perception of her family members — particularly her mother — evolve over the course of the book?
3. What role does the House of Stone play in Atash’s life? Is it imaginary, real, or both?
4. Why does Atash feel responsible for her parents’ divorce, and how does that affect her development?
5. How do Atash’s experiences with trauma influence her dissociation and flights into imagination or memory?
6. What insights does the book offer into life in Iran during and after the 1979 revolution?
7. How does the revolution impact Atash’s family dynamics?
8. In what ways do gender expectations shape Atash’s experience of childhood and self-expression?
9. How does the culture of silence around abuse and trauma affect Atash and her brother differently?
10. How does the book portray the tension between dissociation and wholeness?
11. What are some of the contradictions in Atash’s father, and how do they affect her?
12. How does Atash’s mother balance being strong and being vulnerable? Are there any ways in which she is a sympathetic character?
13. What do the Rainbow Woman, Black, and other figures in Atash’s inner world represent?
14. Why do you think Atash is able to empathize with Siavash?
15. Why do you think the author includes both realistic narrative and surreal elements (like the House of Stone)?
16. How does the use of sensory details—sight, sound, smell—enhance the emotional impact of the memoir?
17. In what ways does the story use memory as both a healing and a destabilizing force?
18. What role does storytelling play in Atash’s survival and transformation?
19. If this memoir were adapted into a film, what scenes or symbols would be most important to capture visually? Why?
20. After reading the book, how has your view of multiple personalities changed? Are you curious about different parts of yourself?