Here is my long-awaited choice. I am breaking from my traditional selection of a war-time fiction that I've already read. See the amazon write-up below. Happy reading!
http://www.amazon.ca/Prisoner-Tehran-Marina-Nemat/dp/0143052179/ref=sr_1...
Concrete Jungle Media
News without appeasementPrisoner of Tehran - Marina Nemat
12 May 2011 @ 20:21
#1
Prisoner of Tehran - Marina Nemat
25 May 2011 @ 07:01
#2
Got it
Got mine today, but it'll probably not get started until after June 5th due to the exam I'm writing on the 4th... Cover looks great though!!! 
26 May 2011 @ 15:08
#3
got it
just picked up my copy the old fashioned way..at the library
31 May 2011 @ 16:30
#4
Done
So, I read this book quite quickly. Overall, I liked it, but I will wait to post more specific commentary.
1 Jun 2011 @ 12:51
#5
jesus
I haven't even started...got distracted by Christopher Hitchens' autobiography...ok I'm starting now
3 Jul 2011 @ 07:45
#6
finished
Ok I finished the book. I really enjoyed it. It was written very simply but also with a lot of emotion. What's great is that one doesn't need to have a lot of knowledge about the Iranian 'revolution' to enjoy the book. It was very raw. The character of Ali was very interesting, I think he was meant to show the complexity of the revolution and how it was intended to create a better society, but didn't succeed. I also found interesting the perspective of a woman forced to convert to Islam, and all of the suffering that she had to endure. I also got the feeling that the story isn't over, since people are still under the thumb of an Islamic fundamentalist theocracy in Iran. After reading this book I would like to learn more about what Iranian people are still going through. A couple of years ago things seemed quite close to changing, however the regime endured. This was a very good and very sad story.
4 Jul 2011 @ 08:49
#7
Uncle Phil
I'd like to welcome our newest member, Phil a.k.a. "Uncle Phil".
4 Jul 2011 @ 08:51
#8
Uh-oh
I wonder how far along Juraj is? I haven't started the book yet, but I think I could knock out these 288 pages relatively easily. I would hate to have a blemish on my perfect book club record...
5 Jul 2011 @ 05:09
#9
Prisoner of Tehran
Hey,
Sorry I didn't reply earlier, but I finished the book about 2 weeks ago. I was staying at a hostel in Toronto, and this old(er) (gentle)man that was staying there saw me reading it so he asked me what it was about. Turns out he was originally from Tehran and has escaped to the U.S. during the same time. It was a pretty interesting conversation with him and it gave me a better understanding of what the book was about.
For me, all these books are the same. I was born in a communist system in Slovakia where people were jailed or disappeared sometimes for no reason, including at least one person in my family, along with other family friends that have gone through similar experiences. While each story is different, in the end, they are all also the same. The circumstances are always different, but in the end, these type of books/stories reaffirm to me the same couple of things each time I read them:
1) Life is precious so don't take it for granted
2) Nobody can take your hope away from you
3) No matter how bad you have it, someone probably has it worse than you, and it could also probably get worse...
4) Nobody can rob you of your "spirit"
5) It's amazing what a person can endure and overcome
6) "Freedom" is more precious than you think so don't take it for granted
I think these types of books and stories should be read by all, in an effort to make the human race more aware of human nature. In other words, we should read these kind of stories in an effort to prevent ourselves from ever being on the other side of things (i.e. the dictators or jailors or whatever...), be it on a large scale, or on a much smaller scale during our daily activities (i.e. with our family, friends, co-workers, etc.).
The book was an easy read, and I enjoyed it. I have to admit that I had a hard time understanding her actions/feelings completely. Perhaps, it is because of I have not lived under those circumstances or because I am a different person, but in the end, I wondered a few times if I would react the same way as her. The point that I had a hard time understanding was with respect to Ahmed (or whatever the guy's name was that forced her into marriage). Yes he did threaten her, but I didn't quite understand why she was so vehemently opposed to him when he was quite nice to her, and his family seemed to genuinely care more about her than her own. I caught myself thinking a few times, "why not just give the poor guy a chance?". Maybe he was ugly or had bad teeth or something, maybe she stayed away from this topic due to the fact that she lives now with Andre, or maybe it's because I am not a woman that's been forced into marriage and forced to have sex against her will, but I wondered if I would have felt or acted differently were I saved from execution and given much more than I had even prior to being jailed...
5 Jul 2011 @ 07:53
#10
the oppression of women
the added element to your archetype in this particular story seems to be the oppression of women. Dare I say that religion has something to do with this? Perhaps it´s my wife´s influence, but I found that I was getting enraged at the thought of how fundamentalist Islam treats women. I would say that most religions in their fundamentalist extremes are by their very nature chauvanistic. That being said, whether it´s called communism or fascism, it´s all the same, and it pisses me off.
7 Jul 2011 @ 04:28
#11
I agree with you on that. I
I agree with you on that. I could just imagine her frustration at having to submit to the new regime. It must have not been easy for someone that is somewhat outspoken and perhaps a bit "feisty", to simply fall in line and not question anything that goes on around you. The guy I was talking to in Toronto said that it's pretty ridiculous what's happening there. He was laughing at the fact that with every regime, women are allowed to wear their chadors an inch further back from their eyebrows. How funny and sad is that...
I also found her argumentation interesting that you simply can't reason with someone that believes, or is conditioned into believing, that they are actually helping you by killing you. I think it's absolutely true, and I also thing that this is one reason why religions have such a bad name. Based on my experience, the fundamentalists in every religion are basically unable to reason or use logic to hold a normal conversation. It's the whole "circular argumentation" thing... I know that [insert religious book title here] is right because it was written by god. I know god exists because [insert the same religious book title here] tells me so... It drives me insane when I encounter people in that state and I often spend hours arguing with them until finally we can at least reach the point where they admit that it is not fact but a system of belief based on faith. However... the same goes for some of my more scientifically-inclined friends...
No matter what belief system you have, be it science or religion, if taken out of context or beyond its boundaries, it becomes a sort of evil (by which I mean that it does not benefit society as a whole... ). I am really not sure how this benefits anyone:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-13703848
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10527088
I also came across Ahmadinejad's speech on racism in Geneva, which I actually found quite interesting...
7 Jul 2011 @ 05:41
#12
Ack..
OK, doesn't look like I'll be able to get this book and read it in any good time frame. Same goes for Rocío.
Juraj, that bumps it up to your pick again
JurPov's last post reminds me of that great Simpsons verdict:
"As for Science versus Religion, I'm issuing a restraining order. Religion must stay 500 yards from Science at all times." -Judge from the Simpsons
7 Jul 2011 @ 05:47
#13
My Pick
How does that make sense? Is that according to the charter of the book club or something? I just picked one not so long ago so not sure why it's my pick. Why don't you guys just pick something so that we go through the circle. Or, are you not able to do so at the present time?
27 Jul 2011 @ 12:24
#14
Marina Nemat in the Globe
the author of this book recently wrote about Norway in the Globe here.
27 Jul 2011 @ 13:09
#15
Finally
This is long overdue and I might have left it too long because I am forgetting some details. Overall I liked the book but like Juraj said, sometimes these books get a little repetitive. Keren and I have read a lot of them and while they differ in details, a lot of the themes are the same. However, that in no way should diminish their importance. We always joke that if you’re ever feeling down, read one of these books (A Long Way Gone or What is the What are good – more African than Middle Eastern) because you'll realize just how good your life is here in Canada. It sounds cliche, but it's cliche for a reason.
I found a hard time feeling attached to many of the characters in the first half of the book. They were introduced with little description and then they were gone. I like to form some sort of attachment to characters.
I think it was Ali, Juraj, that forced Marina to marry him. At first, I hated him. And then I too had a hard time evaluating his character. I mean, the guy threatened Marina and her family’s lives if she didn’t marry him. But then, he ultimately saved her and sacrificed a lot to keep her safe. Does he redeem his initial wickedness? I think the way that he is portrayed for the rest of the story indicates to me that Marina thinks so.
There were a few very simple anecdotes that I found to be impressionable. For example, Andre at one point says: “Holding hands is not a crime. You tell this to someone who lives in a normal country and they’ll think it’s a bad joke.” This was so simple but so sad and indicative of how fucked up fundamentalism is. I found myself imagining living there and it really would feel like a bad joke. Also, the death threats she was receiving for marrying Andre. I share your disdain, Len, for Totalitarian/fundamentalist governments – it actually makes me sick. And I always have to laugh when I hear people of other faiths talking about how oppressive Islam is to women, but yet they won’t stop and take a look at what their own religious texts think of women (i.e. the Old Testament). I understand that it seems as though fundamentalist Islam takes it to a whole other level (with the burqas and all), but at the same time most religions are built on a foundation that is oppressive towards women. Speaking of which, the other night I was in one of the Arab quarters of Bangkok and saw a women wearing the full body robes and hijab with a sort of gold-coloured metal cage over her face. I almost threw up. It’s wrong and I have no problem saying that. And the fact that there are regimes (like Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc.) that mandate women in 2011 to dress like it’s the Middle Ages is truly sad. I really don't buy it that the women choose to wear them.
The fact that Marina was able to live through what she experienced and then come to Canada and write this book is a great feat. I also really found it interesting that Marina was Christian living in Iran. It added a very different dynamic to the story because my pre-conceived notions of the story were that she was Muslim. You get a very different perspective. Did she end up converting back to Christianity? I can’t remember or don’t know if we ever found that out in the story.