I was born in New Jersey to an American mother and an Iranian father. I spent the first twenty years of my life living both in Tehran and New York, striving to fit and blend into whatever culture I happened to occupy at a given moment. I whined about this, wishing I was one thing or another. But after the 1979 Islamic Revolution erupted and my family was permanently exiled, I learned the true meaning of being careful about what you wish for. To connect with my lost Persian heritage, I began to write about it, and to write about living in the diaspora. It’s how I make sense of the world.
This is a historical novel that takes place in Isfahan during the 17th century, the height of that city’s artistic renaissance. Think: turquoise mosaics and sumptuous paisley textiles. The protagonist, a young girl whose fate changes when her father dies and leaves her without a dowry, is forced to work as a carpet weaver. Through hard work and study, she becomes a sought-after carpet designer at a time when Persian carpet design was at its pinnacle and an occupation relegated solely to men. There are some very well-crafted sex scenes, if you’re into that.
A sensuous and richly-imagined historical novel that centers on a skilled young carpet weaver, her arranged marriage, and her quest for self-determination in 17th-century Persia.
In 17th-century Iran, a 14-year-old woman believes she will be married within the year. But when her beloved father dies, she and her mother find themselves alone and without a dowry. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to sell the brilliant turquoise rug the young woman has woven to pay for their journey to Isfahan, where they will work as servants for her uncle, a rich rug designer in the court of the…
This is a novel based on the life of Iran’s first modern feminist poet, Forough Farrokhzad. Her life was short – she died in 1967 at the age of 32 in a car accident – but her poetry, which we may categorize now as ‘confessional,’ scandalized Iranian society (think: Sylvia Plath). She suffered for it, alternately lauded and maligned by a society that was moving away from tradition. For her art, she was labeled insane and placed in a mental institution for a time, had her small son wrenched away from her by her husband’s family, and was treated with disdain by established literati. But she kept writing. This novel, told in her voice, is an amazing depiction of unwavering female rebellion.
LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER • A spellbinding debut novel about the trailblazing Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad, who defied society’s expectations to find her voice and her destiny
“A complex and beautiful rendering of [a] vanished country and its scattered people, a reminder of the power and purpose of art, and an ode to female creativity under a patriarchy that repeatedly tries to snuff it out.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice)
All through her childhood in Tehran, Forugh Farrokhzad is told that Persian daughters should be quiet and modest. She is taught only to obey, but she always finds…
After her mother is killed in a rare Northern Michigan tornado, Sadie Wixom is left with only her father and grandfather to guide her through young adulthood. Miles away in western Saskatchewan, Stefan Montegrand and his Indigenous family are displaced from their land by multinational energy companies. They are taken…
This is a memoir by a 32-year-old Iranian-American journalist who, in 2009, was accused and sentenced to 8 years in Evin Prison for being an American spy. Paraphrasing my review inThe San Francisco Chronicle, Saberi's skillful reconstruction of dialogue leads to a spot-on chronicle of the paranoia and utter buffoonery of the Iranian government and its apparatchiks. I was especially impressed by the way she survives her time in solitary confinement – the resources of her mind that keep her sane. Beyond that, this memoir is a kind of coming-of-age story for those of us in the diaspora who can be a bit naïve about how safe we are as journalists and US citizens in dictatorships. Saberi is freed after 4 months, thanks to international pressures, but she’s haunted by those she met in prison who are left behind.
“Between Two Worlds is an extraordinary story of how an innocent young woman got caught up in the current of political events and met individuals whose stories vividly depict human rights violations in Iran.” — Shirin Ebadi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
Between Two World is the harrowing chronicle of Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi’s imprisonment in Iran—as well as a penetrating look at Iran and its political tensions. Here for the first time is the full story of Saberi’s arrest and imprisonment, which drew international attention as a cause célèbre from Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and leaders across the…
This is a brilliant graphic memoir that depicts the Islamic Revolution and its aftermath through the eyes of a precocious young girl. It’s heart-wrenching, hilarious at times, and a keen examination of life under a religious dictatorship: absurd, hellish, dangerous. You’ll fall in love with this wise girl and enjoy her story so much, you won’t realize how much you’ve learned about Iran, war, democracy, totalitarianism, and the courage it takes to survive. This memoir is often compared to Art Spiegelman’s MAUS.
Wise, often funny, sometimes heart-breaking, Persepolis tells the story of Marjane Satrapi's life in Tehran from the ages of six to fourteen, growing up during the Iranian Revolution.
The intelligent and outspoken child of radical Marxists, and the great-grandaughter of Iran's last emperor, Satrapi bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country. Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life.
Amidst the tragedy, Marjane's child's eye view adds immediacy and humour, and her story of a childhood at once outrageous and ordinary,…
It's 1943, and World War II has gripped the nation, including the Stilwell family in Jacksonville, Alabama. Rationing, bomb drills, patriotism, and a changing South barrage their way of life. Neighboring Fort McClellan has brought the world to their doorstep in the form of young soldiers from all over the…
Five Iranian women of very different backgrounds come together in a lush Persian garden outside Tehran. We learn their stories, their dreams, their hopes. The central theme is as the title suggests: what would a world without men be like? How would life away from the narrow gender-defined roles of an oppressive patriarchal system work? If you like magical realism, there is plenty here, and it’s beautifully rendered. Because of her writing, the author spent many years in prison under the Islamic Republic. Yet she never stopped writing. I think she should be considered for the Nobel Prize in literature. This novel was also made into a film.
From an outspoken Iranian author comes a “charming, powerful novella” that is banned in Iran for its depiction of female freedom (Publishers Weekly).
“Parsipur is a courageous, talented woman, and above all, a great writer.” —Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis
This modern literary masterpiece follows the interwoven destinies of five women—including a wealthy middle-aged housewife, a prostitute, and a schoolteacher—as they arrive by different paths to live together in an abundant garden on the outskirts of Tehran. Drawing on elements of Islamic mysticism and recent Iranian history, this unforgettable novel depicts women escaping the narrow confines of family and society,…
This is a portrait of an Iranian-American family caught between the traditional values of the older generation born in Iran and the postmodern views of their American-bred children. I think the story is both specific in its depiction of Persian culture, but also universal to all families in that the generations grapple with each other and their place in the new world order. They’re bound by abiding love as well as secrets, tragedy, anger, and longing. The timing of this novel is, I know, both wonderful and horrible, what with the brutal feminist uprising going on in Iran right now. My hope is that In the Time of Our History can shed some light on an oppressive situation that has plagued Iranians for over 40 years.
Head West in 1865 with two life-long friends looking for adventure and who want to see the wilderness before it disappears. One is a wanderer; the other seeks a home he lost. The people they meet on their journey reflect the diverse events of this time period–settlers, adventure seekers, scientific…
