Books Read: 2

I have just finished Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. She wrote about teaching western literature during the revolution in Iran that started banning western books or westernized culture. The new regime wanted to purify their culture and revert back to more conservative ways-such as only reading pure islamic books that promote their political and religious views, women wearing the veil, women can only be with men who are their father, brother or husband etc. Due to these new laws Azar resigns from teaching because she does not want to wear the veil-however she eventually goes back to teaching at a slightly more liberal university where she has to wear the veil, but is allowed to teach western literature. Eventually, she leaves that job as well and goes underground with 8 of her female students to teach a class on western literature. The book is broken up into parts based on the books she teaches. The first is Lolita by Nabokov, Great Gatsby by Fitzgerald, Daisy Miller by James, and Pride and Prejudice by Austen. Eventually the limitations placed on her as a woman in a conservative Muslim culture are too much that she moves to the States with her family. There are two things I observed while reading this book. One: I know very little about the history of Iran and it's culture. Two: I learned about my own quick judgments about places and people I do not know about and how I should be more aware of this.

While reading this book the author consistently refers to the time before the revolution (or the war with Iraq-which I did not know happened!) when things were more liberal. The veil was not required. Women could be around men that were not related to them and there was much more of a western influence on the society. The author had spent much of her teen years abroad in England, Switzerland, and United States. However, I did not know that Iran was every a cosmopolitan city that one could visit. My views have been shaped and molded through the currently turmoil happening in the Middle East. I believed that Iran was always a conservative and restrictive country where women were submissive and they all hated the western world (especially the United States). Clearly, from reading this book that has not always been the case-and that is probably true for many of the countries in the Middle East.

My second observation happened while reading a specific chapter during the section on the Great Gatsby. Many of the students in the Muslim Student's Association (revolution supporters) were upset at the inappropriate material being presented in the book. Apparently, in muslim society writers are keepers of the moral code (which I was not aware of). The author decides to make a point with her students by putting the book on trial-one particularly outspoken student is the prosecutor and another slightly liberal student is the defense lawyer and a quieter less political student is the judge. The prosecutor's opening speech was what bothered me the most-he was saying things like, "The whole of American society deserves the same fate (death). What kind of a dream is it to steal a man's wife, to preach in sex, and swindle." He refers to America as "land of the Great Satan". I must say I got quite upset while reading this book. As an American I never supported nor ever will support adultery and just because I have read books on it does not indicate that I have supported. Then, I got to thinking-I've judged him and many people from the Middles East as conservative, violent, and submissive (women-especially those I see wearing a veil). In light of this I cannot judge this man for judging my culture when he has never been to the States, just like I cannot judge his culture for having never been to the Middle East.

I dealt with similar feelings while being abroad this summer in Denmark. Being angry with Americans for having no clue about the country of Denmark (some have thought that it was the capital of Sweden-among other things) and Danes believing all Americans are fat and lazy. We all have judgments and stereotypes of other cultures, but no one can truly judge a culture until we have been in and observed it ourselves. With this I hope that I will become more aware of my judgments and stereotypes of other people's culture.

I really enjoyed this book and allowed me to see into a culture and a country I had very little knowledge about. I think it would have been more interesting if I had read all the books that were discussed because I would have had a deeper understanding of some of the plot references and analysis about the books. However, I do have some great book ideas now! Next book to read on the list is Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston.