This is a book I am reading. I read it years ago, but after recommending it to someone, decided to read it again. What made me do that is the book fell open and I caught a passage that made me go, "Wow!" I did not remember that exact passage, but after I put the book down to do something else (answer the phone?), I could not find it again, so I decided to reread the entire book.

The book, by Azar Nafisi is an inside view of how the revolution in Iran changed it from a free Muslim state to one controlled by the extremists- Iran's ayatollahs- and the impact this had on its population, especially its women. I don't much like the author's narrative style, but the book provides so much insight into the hearts and minds of the Iranian peoples that I read it through. I found the passage again and wanted to share it with you:

"Living in the Islamic Republic is like having sex with a man you loathe...if you are forced into having sex with someone you dislike, you make your mind blank--you pretend to be somewhere else, you tend to forget your body, you hate your body. That is what we do over here. We are constantly pretending to be somewhere else--we either plan it or dream it."

In stark contrast to those black chadors and veils imposed upon them by the ayaytollahs are beautiful women who wear vibrant colors in silent protest.

One of Azar Nafisisi's favorite authors is Nabokov, and what she relates to in his works like "Lolita" and "Invitation to a Beheading" is a whole other post. If I had the time, I would like to reread some of Nabokov too, maybe a little bit through her eyes.

Let me not forget to say thank you for all of you who "Liked" my book page on Facebook.