Though I stumbled upon the novel by accident, I must admit this book was well worth finding. The stories were simply written but were almost deceivingly fully loaded-- full of conflicting values, political ideology and agendas, and societal turmoil. The compilation of separate women's lives, so different from one another, but joined together by a common thread, hearkens back to a similar style of tale-telling found in many other cultures, such as Amy Tan's novel 'The Joy Luck Club' and the popular film 'How to Make an American Quilt'. Rather than choosing to write a politicized essay or thesis which reaches only a certain segment of the educated and politically literate population, Parsipur chooses to write fiction, laced with raw truths and posessing a clear agenda.

Such tales are typical of the kind that are passed down from generation to generation in order to educate the young about their society's morals or possible pitfalls that may entrap those who stray from the accepted norm. This is not dissimilar from urban legends that adults in American society pass amongst themselves or the fairy tales laced with truths that young children are told before bedtime.

Sometimes the most volitile information is passed down and understood by the most simple or innocuous means, and I think that is a conscious choice that Parsipur has made with this book. She chooses to uncover the double standard that both male and female society is guilty of upholding, the notion of virginity (and the understanding of what it is and what it means), and socially-sanctioned ideas of morality, mortality, violence, and inter-gender relationships through stories that allow the reader to look at how different women deal with the society that they live in.

Because Parsipur does not clearly lay out a list of evils that Iranian society proportedly commits, nor does she specifically glorify other elements of her society, her writing raises many more questions for the reader to ponder. By making the problems personal for each woman, some of the issues that a reader would initally consider black and white suddenly turn grey, which in turn, leads to a greater depth of meaning in her work.

In sum, I was very impressed by the book's simplicity, and appreciative for the brief glimpse through the window to Iranian society that it offered.

I am an avid reader of literature of the Middle East and I found Dr. Talattof and Jocelyn Sharlet's translation of Parsipur's Women Without Men to be a delightful read. I have suggested it to all my friends in Princeton and beyond. It is one of those books that reads quickly, but stays on the mind a long time. Parsipur touches upon issues that are of interest to men and women, 'Easterners' and 'Westerners' alike.

I am a casual reader of literature from the Middle East and I have found a particular delight in this translation by Dr. Talattof's of Sharnush Parsipur's book, Women Without Men. I have suggested it to all my friends in Princeton and beyond.

Very comprehensive information about the shia, shia philosophy, development of learned in shia hierarchy and finally Islamic revolution in Iran. The story is written about a certain person as he grow up in Iran, got his education in religious centers and involved in the actions. The history and information are given as the situation requires background about it. It is very nicely written, easy to read entertaining and informative.
Sometimes I found names mixed, to many names with too different philosophies to keep up, so it is a fast book to read, time to time you may have to come back and repeat.

Roy Mottahedeh skillfully weaves together the lives of several people from Iran to present a personal point of view of modern history with a vantage point rarely presented in other modern history texts. He also does not fail to address all the necessary points in history that set the stage for actions in Iran's recent history and give the reader an adequate foundation for understanding Iran's revolution.

This book alternates between historical and analytical background and culturally rooted biography. The focus is on the personal development of Shia clergy in modern Iran. Mottahedeh displays impressive historical learning and insight into a culture much maligned and misunderstood in the West. A good and informative read on an important subject.

I think this book was very well written and showcases pre and post revolution Iran with great clarity. Once taken up for reading, putting it down is difficult!

Azar Aryanpour tells her story and that of Dr. Shoja Sheik with heart rending clarity. Many facts are now clarified for me. I was one of the faculty that helped Shoja in his pursuit of becoming an Orthopaedic Surgeon. Three times I visited in Iran, once for a month as he set up a residency at the "Shafa Hospital". The tragic story now clarified by his former wife moved me deeply.

Make sure that you have a lot of time before you start reading this book, because it is going to be very hard to put down. I found myself reading this book in the middle of class, anxiously wanting to find out what happens next. This book is very touching and emotional, making you feel as though you are right there alongside her through the story. She also does a great job at explaining who is who in book (former iranian officials). I only have one criticism, and that is when she referred to Baha'is as atheists. Such a statement is untrue, and highly offensive to Baha'is who have been tortured and murdered because of such ignorance. But overall, I praise her for this book.

This is the best cookbook I own. Its layout is clear and simple. The recipies are easy to understand and clearly written. It is the most complete book I've ever seen. New food of life explains how to prepare fresh spice mixtures for it's own dishes, includes variants for different ways of preparing each dish, contains nice photos which help for presentation ideas, contains conversion tables for ovens, weights and measures as well as historical notes and even a list of Persian markets in the US. This is easily one of the most valuable cookbooks you will ever buy. It's definitely worth the money!!!

Having grown up in an Armenian/Persian household, I never bothered to learn to cook the delicious Persian meals my mother could make. Why should I? It was easier to ask her to make whatever I had the hankering for (even when I moved out on my own)! I finally realized it was much more practical to learn to make some of the basic Persian dishes myself - after all she lives some 40 miles away. My mother gave me whatever recipe I asked for (a pinch of this, chop a bunch of that....) but this cookbook helped immensely by motivating me to cook Persian more often. Being single, it's easy to shove a Lean Cuisine in the microwave when you come home tired and beat. Looking at the beautiful photographs and recipes inspires me to cook these healthy dishes more often. Most of them are so easy and take no more effort than making any other decent meal. I love the presentation and explanation of the rituals and customs associated with certain occasions. Several months ago I invited friends over for "Persian Night" and what a lovely way that was to entertain. Everyone loved the food! I eventually had to buy a copy for my mother and then another for my sister because they were coveting mine a little too long.

Well, I'm getting hungry thinking about those recipes. Think it's time for some chicken kebab (I use my George Forman grill if I'm making a small serving) and saffron rice. Get this book - you'll love yourself for it. But watch out for your friends; they may want to eat at your place all the time (now I know how my mother feels).

As past reviews indicate, this is a really reliable, thorough cookbook. Iranian friends have admired everything I've fixed. It's especially useful to compare recipes in this book with the different versions found in "Persian Cooking For A Healthy" Kitchen. The spicing is sometimes slightly different and you can learn a lot just by seeing the possible variations.

As a passing note, I would say that when preparing the chelo in a rice cooker you can easily omit the oil. Virtually all of the butter must remain, however. (You can safely reduce the amount by 2-3 tablespoons.) Where water is called for, in the various stews, I use stocks.

The little-known (in Iran) khoresht-e zereshk is one of the best dishes in the book. And VERY Persian. It's a stew version of the far more famous zereshk polo, and slightly similar to fessenjoon, as well. Even strangers who have fixed it for guests have told me that it received rave reviews. The invariable joke is "how does an American know about this dish and WE don't?"

This book has made me an expert at Iranian cuisine. (Now all I need is a recipe for baaghaali ghataagh!)

More than just a biography, this is the story of a people, the Iranian people who have experienced one of the darkest phases of their long history.
The book is based on extensive research and written in a language that is both liveley and erudite.
I recommend it to all those interested in biography, hisory and politics.
Amelia

As a reader of biographies, I have always been surprised by the ease with which most writers either fall in love with their subject or use their pens to demolish it.
Here is one biography in which the writer, an Iranian journalist, manages to stay strictly objective. This does not mean that the author has any sympathy with Khomeini's special brand of Islamic politics. He does not. If anything, Taheri is a Westernized Iranian who would feel more at home in a Western liberal democracy than in any Islamic republic. But , to his credit, he has managed to see the world throgh the eyes of Khomeini.
He shows how Khomeini, who became an orphan when his father was killed in a land dispute, nurtured his resentment into a blazing fire of hatred that many decades later produced a bloodbath in Iran.
Hatred was also the basic strcture of the system that Khomeini built: hatred of women, hatred of the educated, hatred of the rich, and hatred of anyone who looked and thought differently.
Those who wish to understand how religion can be used for the most murdrous of enterprises, had better read this book. The experience is sobering. It is also a good read. W.Vederer

Read it as history or just as the story of a man and a nation. Khomeini appears as a shorthand word for the most dramatic experience that Iran has had in its contemporary history- an experience which would need millions of words to explain. The bleak society that produced Khomeini is depicted with mastery. This is a book that gives you an insight nto the deepest recesses of the Iranian soul and helps you understand the convulsions that have shaken the Muslim world in the poast two decades.

I had not heard of this author prior, but after reading this book I was thoroughly impressed with him. Persian Pilgrimages is very objectively written and does a fantastic job capturing the complexities of Iranian politics. Molavi's prose is very poetic, much more enjoyable to read than an academic text. As an Israeli I feel that I have a much deeper understanding of Iran after reading this book. I recommend Persian Pilgrimages to anyone who loves great writing.

This book is for anyone who enjoys learning about other lands and peoples, particularly anyone who is curious about the Middle East.

Washington Post journalist Afshin Molavi lived in Iran for a year and managed to immerse himself in the culture and daily experience of the Iranian people in a rich and profound way. He seems to have accomplished this through a combination of knowing the language, enjoying a natural affinity with the culture and being exceptionally good at listening. (He remarks that he left the country with 50 notebooks worth of notes)

The result is a well-written account that is colorful, engaging and thoughtful without being overly judgmental. Read this book and you will travel throughout Iran with Molavi -- from capital city Tehran, to democracy-minded Tabriz, to the war-ravaged Iraqi border, to Shiraz, the town of roses and poetry. As the trip unfolds, so does the reader's knowledge of the diverse people, history, arts, sociology and politics of the country.

Persian Pilgrimages in an exceptional book.

Afshin Molavi is very insightful for his young age. This is a wonderful book taking a glance at almost everything that makes Iran what it is. He not only explains about the history of every place he goes, but relates it to the people of Iran and how it effects them. It's very well written and rather easy to read. I would recommend it as a must read for any Iranian and person who is interested in Iran.

This 1991 novel by Gina B. Nahai is the story of the Jews in Iran, and one character in particular named Peacock. Ms. Nahai did a lot of research and it rings with both historical accuracy and as well as a bit of magic realism. The story begins more than two hundred years ago when Iran was called Persia. There are harems and ghettos and child marriage. There is vast wealth and grinding poverty. People are locked into rigid social patterns that they cannot escape. Jews are treated as outcasts but yet sometimes intermarry. Cruelty is everywhere.

Ms. Nahai creates her characters well; each is an individual and yet is representative of a culture and a way of life that has existed for centuries and has remained largely unexplored in western literature. We meet Esther the soothsayer and her descendents, visit marriage beds and feel the experience of a culture where a man is allowed four legal wives and hundreds of temporary wives. We see love and passion and feel great sadness.

I found it difficult to read this book at times because of the constant cruelties. There was something to make me wince on almost every page. Even the wealthy were not spared. It made me wonder if perhaps the author went too far in her fervor to shock the reader. And yet, I couldn't put it down. After a while I got hardened and focused on the rich and interesting characters. And slowly but surely I began to understand the forces shaping the Iran that has emerged today.

Yes. I do recommend this book. But it certainly isn't for the squeamish.

I loved the writer's style. The story was very well-paced, and there was never any part where I was yawning and resisting the urge to flick on the TV. The story of Peacock and her family are well interspersed with stories of separate (though related, plotwise) people, and actual historical facts. The only thing was (and this is also, most likely, a historical fact) that this book heaped so much misery upon its characters that after a while, it just became 'things that happened.' The impact of the book lay in the sheer weight of misfortune, rather than any single heartbreaking mishap. 9.5/10

As a 1st generation American, I have never been to Iran. When I picked up "Cry of the Peacock," all of a sudden, a whole world opened to me!

Nahai's vivid imagery and use of magical realism entrance readers into the the scent, sound, sight, and feel of life in Iran through the many kings, the Constitutional Revolution, the reign of the Pahlavis and the present government.

I learned so much of my country's history and culture. I now know why we are "a culture of sorrow" and why we have so much to offer the world.

A must-read to anyone from Iran or anyone who wants to understand the beauty of the Middle East.

Nahai's writing echoes Isabel Allende, Toni Morrison, and Amy Tan. It was a pleasure to read this book.

The book paints a very perceptive picture of pre-revolution Iran through the eyes of a sensitive upper class house-wife and a left wing radical. The love story though poignant is almost incidental.This novel has resonances in many countries of the region both in the Middle East and Asia of that period. The author has done an outstanding job. In the walled garden( or is it pairi daeza?) is a book difficult to put down.

"Exile is its own country," Anahita Firouz write in this, her debut novel. Set in the brewing years of the Iranian revolution, it follows two people's lives, Mahastee and Reza, friends as children, who have now been inextricably tied in to the politics of their land. Warning to all who may have a mistaken view of where this is going: this novel is definitely not a love story! It is much more about the history of a place, and its people, about how much we can and cannot control our own destinies.

Reading this novel you can almost feel the wind rush off the Alborz mountains, feel the sense of impending doom that is about to crash down on these characters and their countryside. While it takes a few chapters to get truly involved in their story, you'll find it hard to put down once you are. And believe me, it's worth it...this book as the most heartbreakingly realistic ending I have ever read.

I've read several novels that are set against the backdrop of the Iranian revolution, and typically they're characterized by straightforward good vs. bad mentalities, and in the end, the two protagonists always end up in each others' arms. Not so with this masterpiece by Firouz. Don't be fooled by some of the editorial reviews and book jacket comments...this is not a romance. It's more a story of exile, of what happens when a country's politics end up shutting out an entire generation of people. And that's the book's power and beauty.

Mahastee and Reza are both smart enough to recognize that ultimately they have chosen their fates, and to realize that whatever they might do, by virtue of social class, revolutionary association, etc., their fates are now out of their hands. It's what makes this book profound and tragic, and ultimately, the most realistic book you'll ever read about 1979 Iran.

This is a great book for a long train or plane journey, as once you start reading, you want to continue to find out what happens to this interesting woman - Persian woman. I found the first one-third of the book the most interesting as this part told the story of a little girl growing up in a Persian family, in Iran, with 12 step mothers. The historical aspect of the book is very informative but also not chronical or boring. Obviously Sattareh Farman Farmaian has gone a lot in her life, things that most Americans or Europeans will never go through, and perhaps never fully understand. This book is particularly interesting because it introduces Americans to an unknown world and continously amazes the reader with S. Farman's reactions, emotions and thoughts. She never falls in love and she does not seek to fall in love. Although she moves to the United States, and adopts well to the professional life, she never abundanes her cultural roots and beliefs. Despite what goes on in Iran, and how they treat her, she loves her country until the end. Read it and enjoy it for yourself!

I am an American daughter of an Iranian man who grew up in Tehran the same time as the author, and I was THRILLED to find this book. It provided me with many insights and a sizeable history lesson about Iran and its culture. Ms. Farman-Farmaian writes clearly and factually, yet includes her own analysis of the amazing history and perpetual transitions that have characterized this ancient country. She provides an excellent introduction, pertinent background, and an exposure to some of the Farsi language, which gives the rest of the book depth and feeling and makes it easy to follow. Contrary to the Western connotation of a "Harem," Farman-Farmaian enlightens us with the powerful network of love and support, which deeply connected the women and siblings in her family. It is a moving account of a life of courage and dedication by a woman who dared to think beyond her cultural boundaries. I highly recommend it!

I loved reading Daughter of Persia. It is a thrilling journey through Farman Farmaian's remarkable life, and it is a fascinating ride through the modern history of Iran; from before the overthrow of the Shah to Iran today. Farman Farmaian's descriptive, yet fast-paced writing style makes this book a treasure to read. Read Daughter of Persia if you are interested in reading about the life of the extraordinary woman who founded social work in Iran, and read this if you are interested in Iranian culture and history.

Terry Ward has written a beautiful human story and travel journal. I laughed, I cried, I lived through these travellers-- even after I had finished the book!

My favorite part is when Terry receives a present-- a hand woven carpet-- from a woman who had a crush on him 30 years ago as a girl and who he barely remembers. And the note behind says in broken English, "... from your bicycl girl-friend, Isfahan 1998."

But it's not the "touchy feely stuff" that makes this book good. It is also very insightful. Ward discusses the class dimension of the Iranian Revolution in a way that some of the best "current affairs" writers have failed.

What emerges as conclusion is that all the diplomatic negativity of our politicians don't matter much anyway. What matters is beauty, love, friendship, art, poetry, literature, ... culture. From the vantage point of a 3,000 year old country it doesn't really matter if our countries are officially friendly or not -- today's "friends" are tomorrow's enemies and vice versa.

I wish he had included the following from Mowlana in the last chapter-- it just fits so well.

Out beyond ideas of
Right doing and wrong doing,
There is a field.
I'll meet you there.

The understanding of Iranian people and culture by Mr. Ward is thorough and fascinating. I learned much about Iran from this book and I am an Iranian. His explorations on topics such as the poet Hafez or the religious figure Imam Ali as well as the roots of the Iranian revolution are well researched, valid and thoughtful. The audience for this book should include not only the people interested in Iran or the Middle East, but also the policymakers and think tanks of American foreign policy in the area. A definite FIVE STAR.

I just finished reading this book and am still wiping the tears from my eyes. "Searching for Hassan" was truly extraordinary. I cried as Hassan spoke with Terry and his brothers about how he will always remember the kindness of others, especially the kindness that Terry's family gave to him.
Iran has always been on my itinerary, as one of the places I've always wanted to visit. I learned much more than I knew before about Iranian culture, and this book left me with a longing and curiosity to see this beautiful country.
Kudos to Terence Ward!!!