Not — Without My Daughter Qartulad

Not all Georgians embraced the book. Some critics argue that Not Without My Daughter unfairly vilifies Islamic cultures. However, Georgian feminists counter that the book is not about religion but about legalized parental kidnapping. In the Georgian context, stories of fathers taking children across unrecognized borders (Abkhazia, South Ossetia) have made Mahmoody’s plight painfully relatable.

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It would be irresponsible to write about Not Without My Daughter without acknowledging the backlash. The Mahmoody family (specifically Mahtob, now an adult) has stated that while the core events happened, the book and film dramatized certain elements. Iranians, in particular, have criticized the work for orientalism and blanket stereotyping. Not all Georgians embraced the book

The Georgian translation, however, sidesteps some of this criticism by reframing the story as a mother-rights narrative rather than an East-vs-West narrative. In Georgia, the enemy is not Iran – it is any legal system that separates a willing mother from her child. In the Georgian context, stories of fathers taking

"ჩემი ქალიშვილის გარეშე არ წავალ" (Chemi kalishvilis gareshe ar caval) – When American homemaker Betty Mahmoody’s memoir, Not Without My Daughter, was translated into Georgian (Qartulad), it did not just become another foreign bestseller. It became a cultural reference point for parental determination, captivity, and the unbreakable bond between mother and child.

For Georgian readers, the phrase "not without my daughter qartulad" represents more than a book title. It encapsulates a universal nightmare: being trapped in a foreign country with your child, facing a legal system that sides with the local parent, and the impossible choice between escape or abandonment.

While the 1991 film is widely available with Russian dubbing, the Georgian translation of the book prompted local cinemas to screen the film with Georgian subtitles for the first time in 2018. The audience response was visceral – women wept openly during the scene where Betty hides Mahtob in the trunk of a car at the Swiss border.