Set in Tehran, where women are more property than people, Azar Nafisi creates a book discussion group with 7 of her students. This group slowly grows from a discussion of litterature to a discussion of morals, freedom and womens rights centered on the views and stories of western classics. This book is enjoyable not only for its story of eight women and their struggle to maintain dignity and integrity in the face of oppression but also for its intertwining commentary on some of the most influential western novels and how they relate to the real world. I recommend this book to all teen and adult readers.

posted Aug 11, 2005

This book is great. It’s the story of 7 girls’ courage to meet against the will of their government and study literature that had been banned. It shouldn’t be a forced read, especially in a short period of time however.

posted Jul 31, 2008 at 11:38AM

Azar Nafisi’s book is so exceptional. She not only tells a story, but teaches you in a way that is unexpected. She weaves you into the experience of her tale. You end up with the feeling that you are sitting in her class learning about great literature with her. Her book also prompted me to go back to books that I’d read earlier and expand to some that I hadn’t read before. It’s just such a rich experience.

posted Jan 1, 2011 at 12:46PM

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