by Hooman Majd
First published 2008
Hooman Majd brings a unique dual perspective to understanding modern Iran. The grandson of a prominent ayatollah and son of an Iranian diplomat, Majd now holds American citizenship. This heritage grants him access few Western writers possess. He argues that Iran's behavior puzzles Americans because they misunderstand the Iranian character, which blends Persian pride with Shiite devotion. Majd travels from government offices in Tehran to private parties in fashionable neighborhoods. He smokes opium with a cleric and his family, drinks whiskey at underground gatherings, and participates in Ashura religious ceremonies. Through these experiences, he reveals how Iranians navigate between public conformity and private freedom behind what he calls Persian walls. He examines concepts like ta'arouf, an elaborate form of polite self-deprecation that may explain some of President Ahmadinejad's strange public statements. The book shows Iran as simultaneously religious and cosmopolitan, authoritarian yet harboring democratic traditions. Majd presents his country as more complex than typical portrayals suggest.
Genres: history, international-relations, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, middle-east, current-affairs, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: dual-perspective, fish-out-of-water, insider-outsider
Setting: Iran, Tehran
Period: 21st-century
272 pages · Hardcover · Doubleday