Saint Louis University sophomore nuclear medicine student Sara Mosavi’s journey has been anything but standard. Born and raised in Afghanistan, Mosavi moved to the U.S. at 15 years old, where the differences between her new and old homes could not be more evident. After overcoming these differences and growing to the student and person she is today, she decided to write a book detailing her experiences. .

Mosavi’s book, “Traveling With the Wind: Memoirs of an Immigrant Teenager”, centered on her life after moving to the United States, as a refugee due to conflict in her home country. The novel mainly focuses on how she navigated her new status in an unfamiliar country coming of age. giving a personal perspective to a traumatic and tumultuous time of political hardship.

Despite the primary focus on her experience as an immigrant, Mosavi said she believes that the book will resonate with audiences from all demographics. 

“I know that it’s mainly a story about immigration and refugees, but anyone can find themselves in this story…it’s really a story about how to grow and find your identity as life goes…it’s really beautiful,” Mosavi said. 

When Mosavi set out to write the book, she did not let her age be an obstacle and said that she pushed to publish the book independently after being denied by publishing companies. 

“It was really interesting to talk to adults about my book. I explained why I wanted to write this, and they would take me seriously because they also believed that it was a good story that I was passionate about,” Mosavi said. “I did end up self-publishing, but I would’ve done that regardless of what any publisher told me. I don’t think people should give up.” 

On March 31st, Mosavi hosted a reading for SLU students, during which audience members heard excerpts from her book and participated in a Q&A. The talk was jointly hosted by SLU’s women and gender studies department and the Welcome Neighbor organization, which focuses on supporting immigrant families in the St. Louis area. They discussed topics such as Mosavi traveling through Washington and Wisconsin, and how movies about the Holocaust inspired her. 

Mosavi’s story was felt deeply by students in the audience, including junior biology and women and gender studies student Advika Varadharajan, who said she appreciated the personal perspective that Mosavi’s book provided. 

“I really loved Sara’s story and it highlights things we don’t really see in news stories or videos about the refugee crisis…it definitely gives people a lot to think about,” Varadharajan said.

Mosavi said that this is only the beginning of her writing journey, as she hopes to focus on new stories about marginalized groups, beyond her own personal life.

“I want to write more about people who don’t have a voice to be heard, I want to be the voice for people like women, and those who have suffered,” Mosavi said. “I want to make connections between people from all around, and show that we are all sharing the same feeling.” 

Mosavi plans to host more readings and reach a larger audience while here in St. Louis and potentially beyond. Her book can be purchased on her website or on Amazon.