In They Said They Wanted Revolution， Neda Semnani tells the story of her parent —their love， the revolution they hoped would dismantle Iran’s monarchy， and Neda’s father’s death by execution at the hands of the Iranian state， which forced Neda’s mother to flee Iran for California in 1982， with Neda and her unborn brother in tow as they smuggled themselves through the desert to safety。 Though Neda grew up far from Iran and the revolution， she felt its undertow， suffering from PTSD and longing for her missing father。 Eventually， she realized that in order to move forward， she needed to face the past head-on。