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Summary: Persian Mirrors
Review: Elaine Sciolino has done a fine job with this book. What a lot of people tend not to realise about Iran is that the vast majority of its population is under the age of thirty, and that most of them are women, who are either highly educated or are in the process of becoming highly educated. Given this fact, I think the west needs to look beyond the chador and the hejab. A highly educated populace, even when it exists in a theocracy like Iran, can have a far greater impact on the future of any region. This one facet of Iranian demographics should give many nations, including the United States, some pause. Iran's leaders would do well to also take careful notice of its young population. In a few more years, Iran may become a power to be reckoned with in the region, and Ms. Sciolino is quite eloquent in making this fact clear. "Persian Mirrors" is easily the equal to Robin Wright's "The Last Revolution" published last year.
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Summary: An exquisite book about a much misunderstood country
Review: Elaine Sciolino has written an exquisite, penetrating, savvy book about a much misunderstood country. As a fellow journalist who has covered Iran (post-1997), I can assure readers that Ms. Sciolino's reporting on Iran's democracy movement is accurate, balanced, and insightful. Of course, that is what we would expect from her. More importantly, however, I think her book's importance lies in the voices of Iranians woven throughout the narrative. She casts a wide net in gathering these voices -- we hear from hard-liners, pro-democracy students, traditional clerics, secular dissidents, artists, young people, war veterans, economic have-nots, wealthy barons, and the leading voices in Iran's growing pro-democracy movement. Ms. Sciolino also opened windows onto the lives of Iranian women that are hard for male journalists to penetrate. The constellation of voices heard throughout her book makes it extremely valuable for any reader interested in Iranian affairs.Iran is a complex society and country. It is an old land that does not lend itself easily to interpretation. Iran has fooled many Western journalists before and will continue to fool them again. Ms. Sciolino does not fall into the usual traps. On those occasions when she interprets Iranian culture, she does it well, a fruit of 20-plus years of consistent reporting on the country. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in going beyond the headlines of Iranian affairs and journeying with a correspondent that clearly displays an empathy and understanding for the people she covers. This is a nice journey into Iran with a good travel partner, who is knowledgeable, sometimes cheeky, entertaining, and sympathetic. I highly commend Chapters 9 and 12.
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Summary: An excellent blend of anecdote and history
Review: Elaine Sciolino's book is an excellent introduction to the past two decades of Iranian history. I have a profound respect for any journalist who not only reported on the revolution firsthand (you have to read how she was on Khomeini's plane!), but saw enough beauty in this country to return many more times. While I am curious as to the response of this book by Iranians still living in Iran, as an American I found this a fair treatment of the current crises faced by this nation. Sciolino tempers her reporting of some of the negative aspects of Iran today (poor economy, a generation without jobs) with many anecdotes celebrating the warmth of the people. All in all, an engaging, excellent history book!
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Summary: Very enjoyable
Review: Elaine Sciolino, now a senior writer in the Washington bureau of The New York Times, has probably more experience covering Iran than any other American journalist and has reported on events there for over two decades. As a former foreign correspondent for Newsweek Magazine, Ms. Sciolino was aboard the airplane that brought the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to Teheran in 1979. In fact, she knowingly risked her life on the trip as the plane was under threat of being shot down by the Iranian air force. The Shah's generals had devised a plan to shoot down the plane and presented the details to President Jimmy Carter's National Security Advisor. The Carter administration wanted no part of it. She was present for the Iranian revolution, the American hostage crisis, the Iran-Iraq war and many other important events, including the riots of 1999. She writes, "I never went to Iran for the night life. I went for a revolution, a war, and an embassy seizure. And I kept going back." Through Iranian colleagues, friends and political contacts, she has had much access to Iranian life on all levels, and her keen observations provide an accurate source of information on this complex society, its people and its politics. In "Persian Mirrors" she maps the cultural, political, and social history of Iran since its Islamic Revolution. The book contains hard-news, but Sciolino's mission was to write "a portrait of my own encounters with Iran, and with the Iranian people, in the hope it can illuminate whatever choices or predictions others make." The memoir is organized by topic. After the first introductory sections, Sciolino explores the roles of women in Iran, (a topic I found absolutely fascinating), the role of religion, the dark side of life under a repressive government, and many Iranians' hopes for a politically reformed future. She portrays the grim realities of everyday life in Iran and the creative ways many people have found to make life better for themselves and their families. Ms. Sciolino takes the reader along with her to the bazaars, beauty salons, aerobics studios, courtrooms, universities, mosques, palaces, and even a wedding in this extraordinary country. She portrays a vital society too long overlooked. The country is a mass of contradictions, she writes. Iranians make a distinct separation between Persian culture, (and they are extremely proud of their rich heritage), and modern Iranian culture. From the pre-Islamic capitol at Persepolis to the synagogue where Queen Esther is said to be buried, we travel with the author. We learn that the clerics who recite sensual classic Persian romantic poetry insist that the poems refer to divine love. Many of the country's leaders and citizens want to move forward and press for change, while others want to return the country to a distant past. The principle quandary is how to achieve democracy in an Islamic country.
Ms Sciolino's concise eyewitness prose kept me turning the pages. It is difficult to put this book down once started. Her description of the country and its people and her adventures there as a young reporter, and later as a mature professional, are vividly recounted. Her growth and gradual understanding provide a unique and honest viewpoint. I lived in Iran for three years, a long time ago. I made wonderful friends and always felt very welcome in their homes. Iran is noted for its hospitality to guests. I have continued to maintain my interest in the country, culture and people. "Persian Mirrors" brought back many wonderful memories and helped me to understand the many changes that have taken place in Iran since I left. I recommend this book highly. It makes for fascinating reading, and you will learn much that is so relevant in today's world.
JANA
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Summary: Pleasure to Read
Review: Elaine writes so nice. Every time that I pick up the book, I have a hard time putting it down. She has understood us (Iranians) too good! Good or bad, this is what we are.
Thanks Elaine.
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Summary: insanely great
Review: Goes far beyond what I thought it would with a totally revealing look at how Iranian society has been operating since the revolution that overthrew the Shah. What was really impressive was how much access a Western female journalist was able to get once she learned how to manipulate the system. Plus it is interesting to learn how different Persians view the world from Arabs and how, in a strange twist, possibly the best hope for a democratic Muslim world is Iran (read the book and you'll understand). The great thing is Persian Mirrors reads like a travel essay book more than some dry political or sociological analysis so your eyes never glaze over despite the, at times, heavy issues brought out.
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Summary: Facinating!!
Review: I really enjoyed reading this wonderful book. The most interesting part was the introduction when Sciolino compares the soul of Iran to mirror mosaic. Iran IS a country of contrasts!
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Summary: Excellent look into Iran
Review: I started this book with probably similar feelings like Robert Byron who is quoted in the preface of the book as saying "The start of a journey in Persia resembles an algebraic equation: it may or may not come out". However I have to admit that Persian Mirrors is an excellent look into Iran, its society, its revolution, its ongoing reform movement and most importantly its people. The author has been in touch with Iran for the last twenty years at least as indicated in the book. The book starts with the difficulty and ease of getting into Iran and even how this simple process has changed over the years in line with its ongoing reform movement. President Khatami (who is described as that rare politician who campaigns in poetry and tries to govern in poetry) seems to be genuinely leading the reforms taking place in Iran.
Iran is one of the most important countries in the Middle East, and in the coming years may place a huge role in development of Middle East politics. One of the things that I discovered in the book is how liberal Iran is, women have the right to vote, women can work and also can participate in the political system. Of course that doesn't mean all is well in Iran. The book does show how there are day to day human rights violations, how freedom of press is curbed, how political dissent is suppressed by giving examples of peoples experiences. Another thing that comes across in the book is the pride of Iranian people and how they are instrumental in reforming the system. People like Mehrangiz Kar (the womans lawyer), Jalaeipour (the journalist), and Dariush Mehruji (the filmmaker) illustrate how people of Iran are pushing the law and reforming the system. Most of interviewers whom the author encounters do not want to leave Iran (even if given an opportunity to do so) and some of them who do long to get back. Iran is indeed one of the great civilizations of the world. Its relations with US are not the best however there are improvements. As the author states "Americans, it is often said, have too little sense of history and the people of the Middle East have too much", Iran does see its relations improving with the US but gradually and not overnight.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand Iran and its people and how they are pushing for reform in their country. It is one case where democracy it seems is slowly but surely coming and is being established from within the country in response to demands by its citizenry
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Summary: Very enjoyable
Review: Ms. Sciolino has written a fascinating book about the last 25 years in Iran. I didn't want to put it down. My 2 complaints are that: 1)she portrays Iran's reformists as simply victims of the system and 2)all her female interviewees are connected to the Establishment and present rather a one-sided view. Nevertheless, it's a very good read.
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Summary: Garbage !!
Review: Sciolino writes a beautiful book depicting one of the most misunderstood cultures of our time. It is a wonderful journey through the revolution until now and provides an unbiased look into the Iranian people not the government but the people. I was delighted with my purchase; an excellent starter for anyone looking for a short sweet yet thorough account of the country
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