The Soul of Iran: A Nation's Journey to Freedom (Paperback)

~ (Author) "The guardian of the Islamic books library was asleep..." (more)
Key Phrases: prodemocracy students, ruling clergy, little black fish, Imam Reza, Haji Agha, Reza Shah (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Afshin Molavi provides a brilliant tableau of today's Iran. -- Foreign Affairs

Culturally fluent messengers like Molavi are invaluable, now more than ever. -- Chris King, Washington Post Book World

No book compares with Molavi's to give a feel for contemporary Iran. -- Middle East Quarterly

No book compares with [this one] to give a feel for contemporary Iran….Simultaneously engaging and profoundly depressing. -- Patrick Clawson, Middle East Quarterly

Provides us with a fascinating glimpse of Iran beyond the headlines. -- Sunday Times [London]

Product Description

The truths about Iran; quite different truths from versions put forward by Washington, Tehran, and the media. Iran thundered onto the world stage in 1979 with an Islamic revolution that shook the world. Today that revolution has gone astray, a popular democracy movement boldly challenges authority, and young Iranians are more interested in moving to America than in chanting "Death to America." Afshin Molavi, born in Iran and fluent in Persian, traveled widely across his homeland, exploring the legacy of the Iranian revolution and probing the soul of Iran, a land with nearly three millennia of often-glorious history. Like a master Persian carpet maker, Molavi weaves together threads of rich historical insight, political analysis, cultural observation, and the daily realities of life in the Islamic republic to produce a colorful, intricate, and mesmerizing narrative. Originally published in hardcover under the title Persian Pilgrimages, this paperback edition is revised, with a new introduction and epilogue. .

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton; Revised edition (September 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393325970
• ISBN-13: 978-0393325973
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #311,192 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Pilgrimages! Read it twice, October 23, 2005

By	Rostam125 (San Fransisco, CA) - See all my reviews

I was excited to see this book in the store because I had read Persian Pilgrimages, the hardback version, and had heard that an updated version was in the works. I'm not sure if I agree with the publisher's decision to change the title to Soul of Iran (I think Persian Pilgrimages is more poetic), but the author, Molavi, delivers us more of his compelling and insightful narrative about his travels in Iran. What I like most about this work is the author's ability to weave history, politics, culture, and personal stories into a very nice narrative. He is also refreshingly honest and unbiased. His extensive interviews with the poor and the war veterans shows that he didnt only spend his time with rich, westernized Iranians. The new chapter -- his visit to the shrine of Dr Mossadegh -- is probably his best in teh whole book. In fact, I was disapointed that he didnt include a Mossadegh pilgrimage in the original, but he more than makes up for it here. This is simply a great book. As an Iranian-American who lived through the revolution and is frustrated by the American media's simplistic depictions of Iran, I think this book offers a far more sophisticated analysis of Iranian life than any other work out there. But the author doesnt take any sides. He explains things, but doesnt try to push an agenda. All those interested ib learning about the realities of an important country in the Middle East should pick up this book. And read it twice - as I did!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for All Americans, November 1, 2005

By	BangkokDave (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

As confrontation heats up with Iran, every American should read this book. You'll find everything in it: history, politics, culture, ordinary Iranian lives. After reading this book, I truly felt like I could interpret some of the news headlines that come out of Iran (and I knew virtuallly nothing about the place before reading it).

With each page, I learned something new and the author clearly knows his stuff. He also seems like a decent and humane person, which is important when you spend so much time traveling with him (vicariously, through 350 pages). He takes you to all of the great Iranian cities, describes important moments in Iranian history, and gives you a sense of what Iranians are thinking today based on his wide travels across the country. I like the fact that this book is not Tehran-centric because I often find in my own travels (I've backpacked across southeast Asia) that the views in the capital are different than the views oustide.

Iran had often confused me because, on the one hand, I read about democracy movements and young people longing for an American-style life and, on the other hand, I see images of Death to Israel and Death to America chanting crowds. This book explores both of those worlds and shows that, on the whole, Iranians are more frustrated with their own government than they are with America or anyone else. But it also shows how nationalist Iranians can be and his interviews with war veterans shows us that there is still some fight left in them in the case of a war with America.

Our media does a terrible job of covering Iran, so we have to rely on books like these to learn something deeper. This book should be read by all of our policy-makers.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Zendebad Iran! , September 30, 2005

By	D. A. Kelley (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Overall, a great book. It was well worth the time spent reading it. 'Soul of Iran' gives you a better understanding of Iranian politics, the countries internal conflicts, and a look into the lives/culture of everyday Iranians. I would highly recommed this book to someone looking for an honest portrayal of modern day, real life Iran.