NOT WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER mesmerized me when I read it, soon after its release. I didn't know until I came across FOR THE LOVE OF A CHILD, quite by accident, that Betty Mahmoody had written a second book. This one continues her story, and that of her daughter, Mahtob. It also tells the stories of other parents whose children have been kidnapped by partners who fled to other countries, and most don't end as happily as that of Betty and Mahtob. Hope is its theme, nevertheless. Although the chapters that give detailed advice to parents who find themselves in this nightmarish position may be dry reading for anyone else, the subject remains an important one. I suspect some of the information may be dated by now, but we certainly don't yet have a world in which international parental kidnapping no longer happens. Until that day arrives, any book that keeps this issue alive deserves to continue being read.

I purchased a used copy of this book and was very surprised to see a "discarded" stamp on it. This is the continuing story of Betty Mahmoody and her daughter Mahtob. Both miraculously escaped the abuse, beatings, and imprisonment of Betty's husband from desolate Iran. It was (and still is) impossible for any women to leave Iran (or any Islamic State in the Middle East) with her child without her husband's explicit permission that is why Betty's story is so enthralling and riveting. When she returned to their home in MI she wrote her best-selling story, "Not Without My Daughter."

"For The Love Of A Child" picks up where the whirlwind "Not Without My Daughter" left off. The book details how Betty and her daughter have adjusted in the recent years since being imprisoned by her husband. It also discusses family's reaction to them when they came home.

The book also discusses several domestic/international cases that are just as sad, shocking, and interesting and Betty's case. I was especially interested in the story about Zana and Nadia Muhsen. Both young ladies grew up in England and were sold into slavery by their Yemeni father. There is a book about their ordeal which I look forward to reading, appropriately titled "Sold." Betty wrote the introduction to this tragic story.

Never one to be a shrinking violet, Betty does not mince words or try to cover up anything. The book also discusses the Hague Convention and how and where mothers (and fathers) in similar circumstances can get help. (Although this information may be outdated in the year 2006...?) Betty Mahmoody is a pioneer for domestic/international/kidnapping rights.