Reza Kahlili, a pseudonym to protect his identity, was a revolutionary guard in Iran that became a CIA agent. In a Time to Betray, Reza relates the story of how he became the man to betray his native country and what happened while he was an agent for the CIA. Forgetting for a minute what I learned from the book itself, it really was a thrilling read. The feelings Reza has from his memories of the events that shaped his life are consistently evident. The pain and loneliness that goes along with his journey is palpable. This leads the reader to not only know the poor situation the regular Iranian is currently in, but it also makes one empathize and feel for them.
After going through some of his childhood and the ways the government was viewed throughout it, Reza decides to attend college in UCLA. It is there that he truly interacts with America. Never thinking as a Muslim extremist, Reza continues to realize the problems with the way Iran is being run. Still, when he goes back he is stationed as a computer technician in the Revolutionary Guards of Iran. At this point the Guards have taken over the country and in many ways have made it an army state. There is a haunting scene where he goes to the Prison with his friend so the friend can see his children who have been imprisoned for no reason. He describes in detail some of the torture that was inflicted on the innocent prisoners. Ill spare you it here, but it highlighted the atrocities that were going on. Eventually, on a trip to America to visit his aunt, Reza contacts the CIA and an in time becomes an agent informing them on whats going on in the revolutionary guards.
What becomes fascinating is how he has to relate to his family. He is working at a job he does not believe in (still finding it meaningful, as he is really working for the CIA), and has to be a "good" soldier. His parents berate him for his job seeing the revolutionary guard, and therefore Reza, as being the cause of the problem in the country. He is able to live in a world where his parents hate him for what his job is, his wife doesn't understand, and he needs to act in a fake manner while he is at the office. One can only imagine what Reza had to go through, lying to everyone at the same time, especially when he believes as they do. I found that inspiring, to see what a person can do when they believe what they are doing is the best for those surrounding them. If Reza can do that, surely we can all do a little more to help our communities.
I also found it inspiring how Reza was able to rise up from the family and community he grew up in. While his parents certainly did not have this mindset, much of the world Reza grew up in had a disdain for those things that are not iranian or Muslim. Reza was able to rise up from this bigotry and understand that it was not the truth. Even more impressively, Reza was able to stay firm to his beliefs even when he was berated with extremist ideology at work and even had to conform to it for a large portion of the day. Still he was able to rise up and do what needed to be done. While his immediate family shares the same sentiment that Reza does, wanting nothing of the army and extremist state they are living in, tehy do nothing about it. It is impossible to fault them for this, however, it makes Reza's feats so much greater because of his ability to take thought and put it into real actions. It is completely different to believe in something than it is to live with the consequences of that belief in a real way. His ability to take his belief system and to risk his life for it is a strength I hope we can all strive for (although I hope none of us ever need to be put into such a situation).
Overall, A Time to Betray was a great read. It was thrilling and informative about the situation in Iran. I can only hope that the situation gets better for all our sakes, especially for those Iranians that are being oppressed by such a rule.