Tuesday, January 8, 2008

Book Review: Persian Girls


I didn't expect to like Persian Girls: A Memoir as much as I did. This straightforward book by Nahid Rachlin weaves the tale of her life as a child born in 1946 growing up in Iran. She convinced her father to allow her to come to the United States for college. (I am still surprised that he allowed her to do so, actually.) She never returned home to Iran again to live, but instead created a life for herself in the United States.

I learned and understood more about what it must be like to live in a country where women have very little freedom to choose their future. I have a better understanding about Iran as a country. Rachlin tells her story and the stories of those in her life with simplicity and direct prose. Her story is often one of loss and regret, but ultimately, a hopeful story of a woman who overcame great obstacles to create a life of her choosing.

I do recommend this book. Once I got past the first chapter or two, I hated to put the book down.

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New bookclub discussing this book over here.

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