Esther Amini is a writer, painter, and psychoanalytic psychotherapist in private practice. Her recently released book entitled: “CONCEALED” is her debut memoir.

KIRKUS REVIEWS selected and anointed “CONCEALED” one of the BEST BOOKS of “2020.”

Orphaned at birth, Esther’s illiterate mother, Hana, was strong-armed at age fourteen into marrying Esther’s then thirty-four-year-old father, Fatulla. In Mashhad, Iran they lived underground like the Marranos of Spain. The life-threatening anti-Semitism in Mashhad forced Esther’s mother to hide her identity by wearing the black chador while her father prayed from the Koran in public squares, each posing as Muslim. However, within the secrecy of their home they lived as devout Jews. At the end of World War II, incensed by persecution, Hana led her husband and two sons to the States. Shortly afterwards, Esther was born in New York City, and this is where her story begins.

Esther Amini’s short stories have appeared in Elle, Lilith, Tablet, The Jewish Week, Barnard Magazine, TK University’s Inscape Literary, Proximity, Paper Brigade, and Zibby Owens’ Anthology: “Moms Don’t Have Time To.”

She was named one of Aspen Words’ best emerging memoirists and awarded its Emerging Writer Fellowship in 2016 based on her memoir entitled: “Concealed.” Her pieces have been performed by Jewish Women’s Theatre in Los Angeles and in Manhattan, and was chosen by JWT as their Artist-in-Residence in 2019.

ChaiFlicks, (Jewish Netflix), is presently streaming an excerpt from “Concealed” called AM-REE-KAH.Esther Amini lives in New York City with her husband.

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