by Hooman Majd
First published 2010
Iran presents two faces to the world. In the cities, a secular elite of young, educated, wealthy citizens tells Western media that the Islamic Republic will soon fall. In the countryside, poor farmers and traditional communities form the backbone of the nation and support President Ahmadinejad with his cheap suits and unfashionable haircut that signal his connection to ordinary people. Hooman Majd moves freely between these opposing worlds. The grandson of an ayatollah and son of a diplomat, raised in the West but rooted in conservative Islamic tradition, he speaks equally well with female taxi drivers in Tehran and opium-smoking priests. This book refuses to ignore the difficult aspects of Iran while also embracing the magnificent and beautiful elements of the country. Majd untangles the paradoxes before our eyes, yet the contradictions remain unresolved because they form the foundation upon which Iran rests. His dual perspective allows him to interpret Iran and unite its divided image into a single, complex portrait.
Genres: history, politics, non-fiction, 21st-century, current-affairs, iran, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: cultural-contrast, dual-perspective
Setting: Iran, Tehran, West
Period: 21st-century
247 pages · Hardcover · Ordfront förlag