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 enlarge | Author: Nahid Rachlin
Publisher: Tarcher
Category: Book
List Price: $23.95
Buy New: $6.99
You Save: $16.96 (71%)
New (8) Used (8) from $6.19
Avg. Customer Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 123947
Format: Bargain Price
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.1
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
ASIN: B000R344PW
Publication Date: October 5, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Triumphant and a Must Read for Women October 4, 2007
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I read "Persian Girls" very quickly. I think this was in large part due to the simplicity, yet power, of the writing. The only complaint I have with the memoir is that at times it felt that there was something under the surface that the author still could not say about her relationships with the women in her life. There is a feeling of non-resolution, but--strangely enough--I also felt the author was comfortable with that ambiguity.
I think all women should read this book, especially women in America. I already knew a good bit about the repression of women in other countries but the simple, straightforward matter in which Rachlin recounts her life is one that will be easy for anyone to read. Easy in the reading, but sad in the subject matter.
There is probably a lot that could be said about this memoir but for me--on a personal note--I came away wanting to know more about the Iranian women I have known throughout my life (my uncle married an Iranian woman) and what brought them to this country. Did they ever see their families after they left? How much of their culture do they still feel drawn to etc?
Nothing works like good non-fiction to get me thinking about myself and what I bring to the world.
Good read. (I read over the span of two flights, so I would suggest it for a plane read for sure!)
Lovely, poignant memoir September 27, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This is a beautiful, evocative memoir told with tremendous feeling and emotion. The author transported me to each time and place in her life and I almost felt that I was sitting on her shoulders. I have about 30 more pages to read, and am doing so ever so slowly because I don't want the story to end. I thank the author for sharing her story. This is truly a lovely, moving book.
A Compelling and Honest Memoir - Must Read June 28, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
If you want to know what it's like to be a woman in Iran and yet are not looking for simplistic and schmaltzy versions such that is dished by the Hollywood from time to time, then look no further than Mrs. Rachlin's superb account of her coming-of-age in this eye-openning memoir. Mrs. Rachlin's honest and passionate book describes in measured details her disillusionment with the political order as she is exposed to male brutality in both her immediate environs and in the larger society. I loved the fact that she doesn't overwhelm you with irrelevant nuances and sticks to the story, her story, which is spellbinding and reads like a novel. Thank you Mrs. Rachlin.
A Most Memorable Memoir June 17, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I was glued to this slice of life in Iran and read it in one day. The simplicity of the prose belies the complexity of the story. The story shows how the male dominated culture strangles not only the women, but itself.
The culture all but assures that there will be no happy marriages and as a result, no happy people. The political changes re-enforce the culture and, as the book progresses, already stiffling lives become more so.
The book shows how the political changes effect everyday life. Books are hard to find and people disappear. Nahid's father worries that the books she reads will land him in jail.
I've read several narratives on Iran and its former citizens now in the US, this one is the best.
Nahid Rachlin Surpasses with Unforgettable Memoir June 12, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Nahid Rachlin, the author of several successful novels and collections of short stories, all of which are affected by the tension she feels between life in the United States, where she arrived on her own at age nineteen to study and then to stay, and Iran, her native country, has written her personal story, which is "stranger than fiction" and unimaginably touching. Abandoned by her parents as a baby and "given" to her aunt who cannot bear children, she is subsequently snatched away at age eight from the aunt, the only "mother" she has known, and taken far away, back to the strangers who are her biological family. Persian Girls, which reads like a novel, recounts her life as a girl and adolescent until finally, as a detemined young woman, she manages to emancipate herself; it then follows the history, in post-Shah Iran, of her formerly well-to-do family, including the heartbreaking fate of her beloved sister, Pari. Not only is the saga breathtaking in its complexity and emotional power, but it is also reveals the impact of the political changes in Iran, and, more specifically, the attitudes and treatment of women there. Rachlin writes clearly and succinctly. Not a word is wasted. All of her writing is meticulously crafted, yet moves along quickly. We are left to our own conclusions and feelings, - there are no instructive or interpretive passages - yet the emotional impact is strong, at times visceral. Reading Rachlin's spare prose at times reminds one of Hemingway; however, her vulnerability and the inner conflict between the two worlds she knows create a uniquely evocative read. I recommend this memoir to everyone who appreciates excellent writing, enjoys a fascinating story, and wants to learn the truth about the plight of women in Iran, the recent history of the country, and the experiences of a woman who both loves her country yet finds it impossible to return. Persian Girls merits reading more than once. It is difficult to put down and lingers in one's memory.
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