Pour yourself a big cup of coffee, sit down and lose yourself in Reading Lolita in Tehran. This book is a wonderful window into another world. It tells a story of human struggle that anyone can identify with. It is bustling with relevant modern themes and timeless wisdom. The book eloquently weaves the political, religious and revolutionary settings together to create a world that is foreign and nightmarish, a startlingly real context in which its story can enfold. Above all this book is a work of art that sheds light on what it means to be a woman in the Islamic Republic of Tehran, and further more what it means to be human.
This book has special relevance in today's world. Iran is one of the most talked about Middle Eastern countries currently. The news is always a buzz about new developments in Iran. Most of these updates have to do with the alleged plans to build weapons of mass destruction. Iran usually comes up in the terms of a "what should we do about them" type of debate. Iran is primarily viewed as being a problem that the Western world has to deal with. Meanwhile we form our opinions about this country and its people in total ignorance. Most Americans have no idea what language the people of Iran speak much less anything relevant about the Iranian culture. As Americans we have little to no understanding of Iranian history, or about who the Shah was or what the Islamic Revolution is. This book is extremely relevant because it discusses these types of things.
Reading Lolita in Tehran gives us a look at the Islamic Revolution from the inside. It takes us into the lives of those affected by the change brought about by it. It gives us a radically new perspective on a familiar topic which we are ill informed about. This book discusses what happens when religion becomes a political force, or when political forces use religion. There is an extra layer of brilliance to this book being that it is from a woman's perspective and deals with the right's of women in a male-controlled society.
However more interesting than the politics discussed in this book is the discussion of literature. The book steers away from reality and politics and takes root in literature and philosophy. The book is much like reading the author Azar Nafisi's mind. We can hear her thoughts and musings about life through the words she writes. This is where the book excels. It is much like a diary and Nafisi is able to always maintain an intimacy with the reader.
I can definately recommend this book. It will challenge you. It will challenge you to peer into another world. It will challenge you to identify with human struggles. It will challenge your understanding of the Iranian people and culture. It will challenge you to think and ponder about politics, religion and revolution. It will challenge your ideals and your ideas. It will challenge you. Enjoy the challenge.
Ben, I enjoyed reading your blog. First, I was surprised with very simple title. It is very simple and strong! I tend to create complicated title to impress people or make it seem great by decorating the title, but I discovered goodness of simple words by reading your title. I really agree with you about the idea that, “This book discusses what happens when religion becomes a political force, or when political forces use religion. There is an extra layer of brilliance to this book being that it is from a woman's perspective and deals with the right's of women in a male-controlled society.” The great thing about this book is that women are in center of the story; readers will be persuaded existence of injustice in Iran through knowing descriptions of women’s cordial life in Iran. If men were story teller, it wouldn’t be a same content. I learned a lot about how difficult to be women in Iran. You pointed out the fact that many American people do not know about Iran; I believe that’s mainly true and very important to know. Some people just blame on Iranian government without knowing actual citizens. This kind of situation is very common especially regarding to very distinct culture. When you describe as, “The book is much like reading the author Azar Nafisi's mind,” I realized that this is crucial part of the book. I was focusing on so much of difficulties of women in Iran, but what knowing Nafisi’s mind brings us to acknowledge that women in Iran also has voice, same us we do in the U.S. By knowing Iranian women’s intimate feeling, we are going to know Iran better rather than just looking at the Iranian government. We will know that government does not represent whole society, we should get to know people who belongs to the particular government to think critically before just looking at the top ruling group as reflection of whole citizens. Through reading this book, I can picture Iranian people better than before. Yes, I also hope that many people read this book to expand their knowledge to improve global society.
ReplyDeleteIn the very first section of your blog you can definitely tell that you are a great salesman. Cutco products anyone? Your description of the book was very picturesque and would have made anyone want to read it. I loved the book just because it gave me a sneak peak at what life is like in this completely different culture and in that kind of totalitarian society. It was a very inspirational book and I found it incredibly moving that this women created her own freedom because she was denied these privileges in her public life. In her private life I thought it was great how she created this "wonderland" for herself and these others where they could show off their individuality like no other. I'm sure the excitement of being somewhat rebellious added to this "wonderland" affect. My favorite snippit of your blog was when you said "This book discusses what happens when religion becomes a political force, or when political forces use religion. There is an extra layer of brilliance to this book being that it is from a woman's perspective and deals with the right's of women in a male-controlled society." I thought it captured the essence and meaning of the book right on the nose. I also feel like reading this story from the woman's perspective definitely added brilliance. Thank you for the good blog!
ReplyDeleteHi Ben,
ReplyDeleteYou wrote that Nafisi’s book is “much like reading the author Azar Nafisi's mind.” I completely agree with you on that assessment. In fact, it’s one of the reasons I most enjoyed the book. All of its non-linear and episodic structure helped to make the reading experience more “real” somehow. It felt as though I was reading the script to an independent documentary about Nafisi and her students.
Of course, one could assume such a format for the book given that it is clearly intended to be a collection of thoughts in a memoir. As such, I believe it actually helped to strengthen the meaning of her experiences – as though the audience were peering into a time machine and witnessing glimpses of reality rather than simply reading a plot-driven narrative. The fact that the book is written entirely from a woman’s perspective also adds to the uniquely compelling narrative that unfolds.
I’m not sure if Iranian literature generally assumes the same structure as Nafisi’s book, but I would welcome another good read from an Iranian author. I’m open to suggestions if anyone has one!
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