Jacqueline Saper

Author Jacqueline Saper is known for her memoir, "From Miniskirt to Hijab: A Girl in Revolutionary Iran," which won the Chicago Writers Association 2020 Book of the Year Award and earned finalist positions in several other prestigious awards, including the Eric Hoffer 2021 Book Award, the Feathered Quill 2021 Book Award, and the Clara Johnson 2020 Book Award.

Foreword Reviews highlighted Saper's memoir as their "Diversity Book of the Week," reflecting the unique cultural viewpoint her work provides. Moreover, the Times of Israel spotlighted Saper as the most popular featured author article in 2020.

Saper's memoir continued to generate buzz, being listed in the Chicago Tribune's Top 20 Featured Book Articles of 2020. Adding to her list of recognitions, the Chicago Sun Times also included "From Miniskirt to Hijab: A Girl in Revolutionary Iran" in their Books of the Year list in 2019.

Commissioned by Left Brain/Right Brain Productions, Saper subtitled the award-winning movie "Alex and Ali," winner of the Frameline39 Jury Award for Outstanding Documentary. She has also collaborated with the Jewish Women’s Theatre of Santa Monica, California. Fluent in Farsi and English, she serves as a translator/interpreter for the National Immigrant Justice Center and works with supervising attorneys on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers, and the South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Saper earned the designation of CPA (Certified Public Accountant) from the Board of Examiners of the University of Illinois and is the 2018 recipient of the Oakton College Distinguished Alumni Award for excelling professionally and providing inspirational service to the community.

Saper was born and raised in Tehran in a Jewish family with an Iranian father and a British mother. She witnessed the Iranian revolution as a teenager. She then lived in the Islamic republic for eight years as a wife and mother of two. Saper fled Iran with her husband and two young children in March 1987 and was granted asylum in the United States.