My Name Means Fire

"Transformative . . . Atash Yaghmaian channels the power of her fiery name to illuminate a path toward hope and healing." -Shelf Awareness

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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 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

"A haunting memoir that excavates the weight of names, family mythology, and inherited trauma.
The prose moves between tender childhood observation and mature reflection, examining how family mythologies can define and confine identity across generations.
A powerful exploration of how family stories and cultural identity forge—and sometimes fracture—the self." -Kirkus Reviews