pickLoved this story of 2 friends in 1970s Iran. Ellie & Homa bond when they‘re young & reconnect in high school. Their earnest friendship is so relatable. As they grow that friendship remains part of who they are despite the revolution & changes happening around them. The book deals w/big issues: women‘s rights & immigration, but it is so character driven, the issues never feel heavier than their connection. Their story broke my heart & gave me hope.
[It's] Les Misérables, it was taken off the market, I managed to get a few copies before they shredded them...
What's it about?"
"A man who, out of starvation, steals a loaf of bread and is hounded by the police for the rest of his life. SAVAK thinks the book might miror some things in our society."
I put it in my scholbag and headed home....
How strange that in our culture books were considered dangerous...
pickThis is a collaborative book, with one author still living in Iran, risking imprisonment every day and the other living in self-imposed exile and unable to return.
All of the people profiled here, mainly women but also other minorities, are incredibly brave. As well as eye-opening accounts of what is it to live under the Iranian regime there are also discussions of what journalism *should* be.
One of the best books I‘ve read this year.
And I'm up to date with #FictionalTraveler too! @julieclair
Unfortunately I really didn't like this book. I was expecting a sweet forbidden lesbian romance set in Iran, and instead got a couple of naive selfish drama merchants -[cont in comments]
Also, be aware, though sold as a romance this is NOT A ROMANCE NOVEL.
pickBawling. What a wonderful, wonderful book. I wish there weren't so many parallels to our current events dealing with ICE. These friends will live in my head and heart for a very long time.
pickA beautiful tale of female friendships. I also really appreciated learning more about Iran and the ongoing fight for women‘s rights. There are some cliches in the story, but it was so readable. The audiobook is especially good-highly recommend-so I hear the proper pronunciation of the dialogue. 4.5⭐️
I look forward to discussing this with my RL bookclub!
pickAnother banned/challenged book for our local library‘s “Read for Your Rights” book club. This is a graphic memoir of the author‘s life growing up in Tehran until age 14, during the late 1970s/early 1980s —a period that covered the fall of the Shah, the rise of the Islamic state and Iran‘s war with Iraq. I don‘t read a lot of graphic novels; I‘m glad I read this one. It was the perfect format for Satrapi‘s story.
pickFinished this one earlier this week, just in time to attend an author signing on Tuesday.
The book itself was phenomenal. Hearing Kaveh Akbar (who is an absolute delight) speak made me love it even more.
Book mail is the best kind of mail. Who has read it? What did you think of it?
![[tagged book]](https://image.librarything.com/pics/litsy_webpics/icon_taggedBook@3x.png){kind=icon}
