Maryam Rafiee was only a teenager when her father, Hossein Rafiee, was first imprisoned in Iran for expressing his political views. Unable to see or speak to him, she wrote him letters that she could never send. She recorded the things she wished she could tell him: thoughts on school, home, the family's struggle to free him, and―most importantly―her own hopes and dreams. Fifteen years later, in the wake of her father's second imprisonment, Maryam offers these letters to the world, to reveal the suffering undergone by prisoners of conscience and their families. Her story is one of hope, courage, and love in the face of tyranny.

Just days before Maryam Rafiee left Iran to immigrate to Canada, intelligence agents stormed her family’s home in Tehran, warning her father—a political dissident—to stay silent on political issues. The raid left both emotional and physical scars, forcing her to leave her country without saying goodbye to many of her loved ones—a loss that would haunt her for a decade. She arrived in Canada hoping for freedom, but when her father was imprisoned just months later, Maryam realized freedom would never truly be hers while he remained behind bars. As she struggled to build a new life in a foreign land, she also fought from afar for his release and for globalhuman rights. That fight changed her life forever, forcing her into permanent exile, never able to return to her motherland. In this deeply personal memoir, Maryam Rafiee reflects on the pain of leaving loved ones behind, losing her home, and searching for a place to belong. Was it Worth It?  recounts the heartbreak, struggle, and resilience it takes for one woman to learn to make peace with her past, while finding strength in her memories to keep moving forward.