Book Release: False Prophet Author Afsheen Farhadi in Conversation with Jon Hickey

All Events Book Release: False Prophet Author Afsheen Farhadi in Conversation with Jon Hickey Join local author and UNR English professor Afsheen Farhadi for a special reading of his first novel, False Prophet , and a conversation with fellow writer Jon Hickey. This literary evening explores themes of loss, identity, the intergenerational legacy of colonialism, and the age-old question – how much of yourself are you willing to lose in order to succeed?

Purchase your copy of False Prophet from The Radical Cat pop-up shop for a book signing following the program. ABOUT FALSE PROPHET A grieving actor-turned-memoirist reimagines his mother’s encounter with Jim Jones, the deadliest cult leader of all time—the only problem is, it’s mostly all lies.

Actor Jal Persad is enjoying moderate success when the death of his mother, Rita, sends him into a tailspin—after all, how could he grieve a woman he barely knew? Rita had grown up in Guyana during the rise and fall of the Jonestown cult, but never spoke of her home to Jal, always keeping him at a distance.

After months of avoiding work, a misunderstanding at lunch with his manager leads Jal into a web of lies. He soon finds himself writing a memoir of his mother’s adolescence, one that places her in direct contact with Jim Jones himself.

There’s just one issue–Rita never met the man. Suddenly, the book goes viral, and Jal must face the looming threat of exposure, and his own guilt. “Toggling between Jal’s present-day narrative and the made-up story of Rita, Farhadi offers keen insights into the power of lies to both create and destroy”- Publishers Weekly Talks October 22, 2026 6 – 7 pm Register Share: Similar Events Talks September 30, 2026 6 – 7 pm Work in Progress: Tariku Shiferaw in Conversation with Erin Christovale Talks October 21, 2026 2 – 3 pm OLLI at the Museum: Murals, Street Art, and Graffiti: A Cultural Shift View All