A celebration of one of Iran’s most iconic musical artists.The legendary Iranian singer and actress Googoosh (born Faegheh Atashin) made her stage debut at age two while performing alongside her acrobat father. By the time she reached adulthood, she was widely considered to be Iran's first superstar. Googoosh was in the prime of her career and on the brink of international stardom, but after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, she was silenced and disappeared from public life for over twenty years. However, her fans did not forget her. And as they sought refuge around the globe, they found ways to keep her music alive.
Azadeh Westergaard has crafted an unforgettable love letter to the home she once knew in Iran and to the woman who was and still is a cultural icon—a dazzling performer known as the one and only Googoosh.
Azadeh Westergaard received her BA from Harvard College and MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She is the author of
A Life Electric: The Story of Nikola Tesla. Originally from Iran, she grew up in the United States and now lives in New York City with her husband and three boys. Visit her at AHWestergaard.com.
★ "Westergaard’s highly dimensional collage work, patterned and embellished with block prints, brush pens, and colored pencil, leans into portraiture and stage scenes in this ode to a beloved figure—'our one and only/ Googoosh.'"
—Publishers Weekly, starred review★ "More than just a loving tribute to one particular singer, this is a rich concoction of immigrant yearning . . . A radiant love letter to a treasured artist—and to a long gone way of life."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"This picture-book biography offers loving tribute, not only to Googoosh’s career but to pre-revolutionary Iran, as the author shares childhood memories of favorite foods, sights, and sounds, including dancing and singing with friends to Googoosh’s latest releases. This is a lovely celebration on an iconic performer."
—Booklist"Enticing glimpses of both a country’s troubled history and of a cultural icon who will be new to most young audiences."
—School Library Journal
