The Ayatollah Begs to Differ

Starred review from July 21, 2008
In this critical but affectionate portrait of Iranian politics and culture, Majd, the Western-educated grandson of an ayatollah, delves into the very core of Iranian society, closely examining social mores and Farsi phrases to identify the Persian sensibility, which, Majd determines, cherishes privacy, praise and poetry. Nothing is too small or too sweeping for Majd to consider, and although he announces his allegiance to the former president Khatami, he remains scrupulously even-handed in assessing his successor Ahmadinejad, shedding light on the Iranian president’s “obsession” with the Holocaust and penchant for windbreakers and why the two are (surprisingly) intertwined. The author’s brisk, conversational prose is appealing; his book reads as if he is chatting with a smart friend, while strolling around Tehran, engaged in ta’arouf
(an exaggerated form of self-deprecation key to understanding Persian society). Although Majd seems to gloss too quickly over realities that don’t engage his interest—women’s voices are only intermittently included—this failing scarcely mars this remarkable ride through what is often uncharted territory.

September 1, 2008
Despite the centrality of Iran to American security concerns and the heavy coverage Iran receives in Western media, the country remains an enigma to most Americans. This is partly because many people in the United States tend to equate contemporary Iran with its theocracy and/or the vitriolic public pronouncements of its president. However, as journalist Majd's lucidly written book demonstrates, Iran is a complex society with a sizable educated middle class and a youthful population whose cultural sophistication and cosmopolitan outlook have become buried under the avalanche of propaganda emanating from the country's theocratic rulers and U.S. media commentators with a political agenda. Majd, the Western-educated and Western-reared son of a former diplomat during Mohammad Reza Shah's monarchy, is immersed in both the Iranian and the Western cultures and easily navigates between these two domains. Based on his visits to Iran and extensive conversations with Iranians from all walks of life, Majd's witty and captivating book makes it possible for a nonexpert to appreciate the multiple layers of sociocultural factors that define today's Iran. Highly recommended for all public libraries. [See Prepub Alert, "LJ" 6/1/08.]Nader Entessar, Univ. of South Alabama, Mobile

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