Mothering › Forums › Natural Family Living › Books, Music and Other Media › Reading Lolita in Tehran
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Reading Lolita in Tehran  

post #1 of 13
Thread Starter 
this was an excellent book! it really makes one think of the freedoms we have that we take for granted. a story of courage, resolve and dedication to intellectualism. the synopsis below is from he publisher but i cant recommend this book enough. i had it for a long time before actually reading it but it was certainly my loss for letting it sit for so long.

Every Thursday morning for two years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a bold and inspired teacher named Azar Nafisi secretly gathered seven of her most committed female students to read forbidden Western classics. As Islamic morality squads staged arbitrary raids in Tehran, fundamentalists seized hold of the universities, and a blind censor stifled artistic expression, the girls in Azar Nafisi's living room risked removing their veils and immersed themselves in the worlds of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Henry James, and Vladimir Nabokov. In this extraordinary memoir, their stories become intertwined with the ones they are reading. "Reading Lolita in Tehran is a remarkable exploration of resilience in the face of tyranny and a celebration of the liberating power of literature.
post #2 of 13
I really loved this book, too. It was an entirely different perspective on freedom and the life of the mind than I had seen before.
post #3 of 13
I just finished this book last night. I really liked it.
post #4 of 13
Oh, I'm glad this thread was bumped! I just placed a hold on it at my library, I can't wait to read it.
post #5 of 13
I'm in the middle of it right now. It's been an eye-opener. I am really bad about history and didn't realize that there was a time when the current restrictions weren't there. I am so glad to be reading it.
post #6 of 13
I thought this was a fabulous book, too -- I'm so glad it's doing well in this country, because it's true that not a lot of people know about Iran's history. In fact the Shah was a US puppet, and the country was VERY westernized until the revolution in '79. When I look at my dh's old home movies (he was born in Tehran, moved here in the mid 70s), they could have taken place in New Jersey. If a woman wore a chador in Tehran back then, she would have been looked down upon as old-fashioned and ignorant.

Yes, things have changed....
post #7 of 13
wooo-hooo! just saw her up close and personal talking, answering questions. even got the autograph. she's great!
post #8 of 13
Very cool
post #9 of 13
I thought it was way too short! Excellent book.
post #10 of 13
Thread Starter 
i thought it was short too. would love to read more by the author..maybe ill take a gander to see what else she has.
post #11 of 13
nak

someone in the audience threw out the question about books she is currently reading. hmmm, maybe i should post some of the books she said she is reading. she also said she's working on something but wouldn't/couldn't elaborate.

oh, i would love to throw out to you some of things she said about her book in the lecture, too, and get your tho'ts, but i just can't right this sec.
post #12 of 13
If you all liked that book I suggest u look out for this other book written in RESPONSE to THIS book by another Irani women here in the US. I forget the title...my local library has it.

I didnt read this book, I did though skim through it and got so annoyed by it I put it back on the shelf. I hate to say this but...as someone who acually *knows*...the majority of the book is a load of broo-ha-ha.
Seriously...
She makes life for women in Iran and life IN Iran...period...sound like misery.
Which, obviously it isnt.
Also, the pasdaran arent going around raiding everything and giving everyone a hard time. Last time I was IN Tehran...which was in July I kept my eyes peeled for any raids...there werent any that I could see. Everything was going about as normal
And no, Universities are not in the hands of conservative Muslims. *oh gee whiz! *...but actually in Iranian society, Universities and students in them (Daneshjoo) are actually renowned for being very free and open minded and...yes, liberal!
Infact Tehran Univ. is frequently the spot for student demonstrations.

Oh and you can buy some very eye-opening books translated INTO Farsi or left in English IN the book bazaars around Tehran University!

sigh...

I'll go find the other book in question and post the title here some other time.
post #13 of 13
Quote:
Originally Posted by JaniceT View Post
If a woman wore a chador in Tehran back then, she would have been looked down upon as old-fashioned and ignorant.

Yes, things have changed....
In Tehran...yes but in other cities like Esfahan, the chador was still the norm for cultural reasons more so than religious reasons.

In Tehran, the chador has much more political associations than religious or family ones...while in Esfahan it does not. It's just a normal, everyday iece of clothing the majority of women and girls grow up with.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Books, Music and Other Media
This thread is locked  
Mothering › Forums › Natural Family Living › Books, Music and Other Media › Reading Lolita in Tehran