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sina503's review against another edition
4.0
it‘s not 5 stars because I really didn‘t line how the trans persons story was written
20megs's review against another edition
5.0
This book is fantastic. It gives a true to life representation of the Tehrani world. I think reading this book would be the best way for someone to get acquainted with what life is really like in Iran. The Iran I know is beautiful and welcoming but there is so much hiding underneath. The last words of the epilogue sum up exactly what Iran is. It is a place where all five of your senses will be truly happy.
wendoxford's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book with some caveats.
Knowing little of the culture of Tehran other than what we hear via the world press, it was fascinating to read these individual stories, vignettes, based on individual characters Navai had interviewed demonstrating through their stories the everyday clashes between tradition and modernism in an aspirational culture.
The lies of the title insinuate themselves within each narrative. The "moral police", misogyny, endless unfulfilled promises, sexuality, trans lives, huge secrets, outward morality packed away for both pleasure and as a means of survival.
The downsides for me were the very personal, often harrowing talking heads being voiced by an omniscient narrator. Whilst the author explains that she needs to respect the need for anonymity it is hard to weed out what is recollection and what is the padding. These protagonists must, inevitably, be composite in some way.
Obviously each character's chapter is an episodic. Each focuses on a different timeline and the back story. I would have enjoyed more of the "story" in many of these pieces and less build up and aftermath. Life is a continuum and readers can cope with missing links especially with the helpful author notes.
Knowing little of the culture of Tehran other than what we hear via the world press, it was fascinating to read these individual stories, vignettes, based on individual characters Navai had interviewed demonstrating through their stories the everyday clashes between tradition and modernism in an aspirational culture.
The lies of the title insinuate themselves within each narrative. The "moral police", misogyny, endless unfulfilled promises, sexuality, trans lives, huge secrets, outward morality packed away for both pleasure and as a means of survival.
The downsides for me were the very personal, often harrowing talking heads being voiced by an omniscient narrator. Whilst the author explains that she needs to respect the need for anonymity it is hard to weed out what is recollection and what is the padding. These protagonists must, inevitably, be composite in some way.
Obviously each character's chapter is an episodic. Each focuses on a different timeline and the back story. I would have enjoyed more of the "story" in many of these pieces and less build up and aftermath. Life is a continuum and readers can cope with missing links especially with the helpful author notes.
marinazala's review against another edition
3.0
** Books 97 - 2018 **
3,2 of 5 stars!
It is story compilation about people who living in Iran. The most shocking one is about crazy the prostitute is and it somehow reminds me a lot with Indonesia in Order baru's era when people doesn't have any freedom to speech and suddenly they just disappeared and being punished to voice what they thought
Thankyou Big bad Wolf 2018
3,2 of 5 stars!
It is story compilation about people who living in Iran. The most shocking one is about crazy the prostitute is and it somehow reminds me a lot with Indonesia in Order baru's era when people doesn't have any freedom to speech and suddenly they just disappeared and being punished to voice what they thought
Thankyou Big bad Wolf 2018
amydavid's review against another edition
3.0
This book was interesting in its depiction of the diversity of Tehran, and how closely the religious divides mirror the economic divides, but I think the author strayed pretty into creative non-fiction over journalism, and too often went for sensationalism over truth. The depiction of a gay man becoming a trans woman was totally bungled -- without the legal and religious context of why some people make that choice, it came off as though gay and trans are interchangeable, which is a harmful idea.