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My Name Means Fire

A Memoir

Author Atash Yaghmaian
Hardcover
$26.95 US
Beacon Press
5-1/2"W x 8-1/2"H | 20 oz | 12 per carton
On sale Oct 14, 2025 | 248 Pages | 9780807020722
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An unflinching and stunning debut memoir of an Iranian girl’s coming-of-age experiencing abuse, war, and superstition—and her survival through 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 people, 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.
“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

“Yaghmaian’s dissociative world reads like magical realism. Fascinating, provocative, and deeply personal, My Name Means Fire offers an unconventional perspective that will challenge your thinking on trauma and survival.”
—Nina Darnton, author of A Perfect Mother

“Atash’s writing lives in the strongest softness. Every page was a sensory experience—I could hear, see, and feel every scene. Her writing is alive, and I appreciate that so much as a reader and envy it as a writer. This is a beautiful book.”
—Bassey Ikpi, New York Times best-selling author of I’m Telling the Truth, but I’m Lying

“As someone living with DID, I deeply appreciate the courage and vulnerability it takes to share your experience. Atash’s story in My Name Means Fire is raw, brave, and profoundly validating. For anyone with DID, or anyone seeking to understand it, this book is a compassionate and insightful glimpse into dissociation.”
—Olga Trujillo, author of The Sum of My Parts

“My Name Means Fire is overflowing with emotional honesty and grace about a condition that’s so misunderstood. Yaghmaian doesn’t just explain dissociative identity disorder—she shows how it was a lifeline, a way to survive the chaos and pain of abuse, neglect, addiction, violence, and the fear that comes with living through war. This memoir is full of hope. It’s also an open-hearted invitation to readers: to be kinder to themselves, the way Atash had to learn—through struggle, strength, and deep self-compassion.”
—Christie Tate, New York Times best-selling author of Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life

“My Name Means Fire is a beacon that burns bright. With an artistry steeped in truth and tenderness, Atash Yaghmaian braids a story of horrors and hope, of ferocious courage and incredible love for her many parts. A triumph.”
—Molly Winter, New York Times best-selling author of More: A Memoir of Open Marriage
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.
Atash Yaghmaian View titles by Atash Yaghmaian

About

An unflinching and stunning debut memoir of an Iranian girl’s coming-of-age experiencing abuse, war, and superstition—and her survival through 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 people, 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.

Praise

“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

“Yaghmaian’s dissociative world reads like magical realism. Fascinating, provocative, and deeply personal, My Name Means Fire offers an unconventional perspective that will challenge your thinking on trauma and survival.”
—Nina Darnton, author of A Perfect Mother

“Atash’s writing lives in the strongest softness. Every page was a sensory experience—I could hear, see, and feel every scene. Her writing is alive, and I appreciate that so much as a reader and envy it as a writer. This is a beautiful book.”
—Bassey Ikpi, New York Times best-selling author of I’m Telling the Truth, but I’m Lying

“As someone living with DID, I deeply appreciate the courage and vulnerability it takes to share your experience. Atash’s story in My Name Means Fire is raw, brave, and profoundly validating. For anyone with DID, or anyone seeking to understand it, this book is a compassionate and insightful glimpse into dissociation.”
—Olga Trujillo, author of The Sum of My Parts

“My Name Means Fire is overflowing with emotional honesty and grace about a condition that’s so misunderstood. Yaghmaian doesn’t just explain dissociative identity disorder—she shows how it was a lifeline, a way to survive the chaos and pain of abuse, neglect, addiction, violence, and the fear that comes with living through war. This memoir is full of hope. It’s also an open-hearted invitation to readers: to be kinder to themselves, the way Atash had to learn—through struggle, strength, and deep self-compassion.”
—Christie Tate, New York Times best-selling author of Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life

“My Name Means Fire is a beacon that burns bright. With an artistry steeped in truth and tenderness, Atash Yaghmaian braids a story of horrors and hope, of ferocious courage and incredible love for her many parts. A triumph.”
—Molly Winter, New York Times best-selling author of More: A Memoir of Open Marriage

Author

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.
Atash Yaghmaian View titles by Atash Yaghmaian

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