Azar Nafisi

*E-book ARC received from the publisher through Edelweiss Plus - thank you!*

Azar Nafisi writes letters to her deceased father, reflecting on events in America in 2020 - the pandemic, George Floyd protests, Trump, and most of all the growing divide between people who don't agree politically - through the books that she is reading.

Many of the books about books I read are optimistic and lighthearted in tone, celebrating the power of reading and its ability to bring people together. Nafisi, show more however, doesn't make it that easy. Oh, she believes in the power of books and reading and insists that it should allow us not to dehumanize the enemy. But the topics she's tackling and the books she's reading are not at all lighthearted, and while she leaves room for hope in the end, the pandemic, polarization, racism, and totalitarianism (often comparing American trends with the Islamic Republic in Iran) discussed in her letters make for sometimes difficult and challenging reading. Writing letters to her father allow her to be very personal in tone, but sometimes stretch in awkward ways to accommodate the strangers reading along - such as when she explains something about her mother, or reminds her father about something he'd said in ways that she wouldn't have to do if she were only writing to him. I'd read few of the books she references, and she's not averse to spoilers, so be forewarned. If you're not quite ready to process various events of 2020, you may want to wait on this one. show less

4.75

I loved this book. I've recommended it to people and lent out my copy. Last night at the Goodwill store I took a copy off the shelf and put it in the hand of a stranger. Nafisi has keen insight into both English literature as well as the sociopolitical situation she experienced in revolutionary Iran. Not only did Nafisi give me a glimpse into her country, but her observations about authoritarianism and repression set off eerie mental alarms when I thought about current events in my own.

This is the searingly intimate memoir of a female literature professor in Iran. She tells the story of her professional career and it's untimely end as increasing governmental restrictions against women force her to resign from the university. Adrift and at loose ends as her country unravels around her, Professor Nafisi turns to literature, her familiar escape from the unfortunate state of the world. Eventually, she decides to hold a secret class in her home for hand-selected students. They show more will read and discuss banned books and devote themselves to the study of great works and thereby transcend their lives.

As the narrator lovingly recounts the struggles and dangers of her life and her students' lives, she also delves into the lessons learned from each great writer. She also teaches by example how to love a work of fiction based on its merits outside the moral structures of one's society. Despite the foreign natures of such works which describe places well outside their experience, they are still able to relate to and appreciate the characters they read about and even hope to emulate them.

This book is very moving and hits especially close to home due to recent political events in my own country. It's terrifying to realize how easily rights once extended can be removed by the state. This book also serves as a college level course on a number of novels, providing deep readings and insights about the impact of famous works and why their influence remains so potent. show less