Customer Reviews

We Are Iran: The Persian Blogs

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Nice book but with some problems.
I have lived outside Iran for the past 5 years. This book gave me a nice insight to the dynamic of Iranian society. It is not just a collection of web logs, I enjoyed most of the analysis as well. It covers many different events in Iran.

However I got this impression (perhaps I am wrong) that the author wants to assert that Iranian society is pro-democracy and pro-modernity only because it is pro western.

I detest this assertion because according to history, freedom and modernity has a much deeper root in Iranian culture than it does in the western culture. The fact that we are more pro-western than the rest of middle east, is partly because we have more in common with the West than with Arabs in our neighborhood.

What you see among young Iranians is indeed Persian culture which is only some times covered with a thin layer of western representation. A reader should not overlook the obvious fact that when it comes to nationalist feeling, the authority of Persian culture (over Western culture) among the young Iranians is prominent.

From the web logs you see most of Iranians have not yet completely forgotten what nasty plots Britain and US did in Iran.

Another issue I would like to mention is that although high level of computer literacy among Iranian young (who are mainly well educated) is a reason of having so many web logs in Iran, there are some other reasons too. (why for example China does not have so many web logs?)

Have you noticed that Persians are one of the most literature lovers in the world possessing such a great heritage of poetry? We have always been so fascinated by the power of words. Edward Brown (the British orientalist lived 1862-1926) has some valuable comments on it.

I strongly suggest this book, but please take into the account that web loggers are mainly middle class, not intellectual class and not the lower class.

All my life I've had the vague idea that Persia was the source of one of the world's most important cultures, but I would have had a hard time explaining why. No longer. Alavi covers a truly impressive range of topics in her exploration of the Iranian blogosphere, from pre-Islamic festivals to postmodern music, but what she does best is *sell* Iran and Iranian culture. After reading this book, I've not only started collecting Iranian recordings and renting Iranian DVDs, I've also decided that life is too short not to learn Persian. If the Iranian authorities were smart, they'd name her Minister of Culture.

This book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys getting the in-depth story from the actual people who are living it, rather than the politicized, over-simplified version that you get from the mainstream media. If you've ever asked yourself, "what is up with Iran?!" this is the book for you. Ms. Alavi risks her life in publishing it, as do the bloggers. It's a testimony to the extraordinary value of free speech that we who have it must never forget to appreciate. This book contains excerpts from blogs written by Iranians. Ms. Alavi intersperses the blogs with historical, cultural, and statistical information about Iran (and Persia). It's fascinating, easy to read, eye-opening, encouraging, and very well-written. It's the kind of book that students in Iranian studies classes should be reading.

I have just finished reading this book and it has been an amazing journey.

I visit Iran almost every year and kind of know what is going on, but I don't live there so I could not pretend to understand the depth of feelings of people living there and why they complained so much when it has improved so much since the war. But now I think I understand the difference... its about hopes and dreams and the ability to make them real.

This is a poor analogy, but if you have ever had to flip burgers during vacation you might not think it was a tough job, but if you were doing that job for 20 years and had the ability and imagination to be much more, but weren't allowed to, it would be the hardest job in the world.

Maybe that's what makes these blogs so moving? In that despite the obvious heartache and frustration they are still threaded with hope and belief that they will make their dreams come true.

The book might not include every opinion in Iran and yes, by selecting blogs as a source, the book can not be 100% proportionally representative of every Iranian thought. People who can't read, don't have a computers etc.

But that doesn't make the book any less insightful or less unique. Without it, what is the next best thing to really reflecting the thoughts of Iranians? Friday prayer speeches? Deluded dubiously funded royalist satellite stations?

For me this book is the most insightful revelation of the thoughts, hopes and aspirations of ANY society I have read. It's not the view of one or two political analysts, politicians or academics. It really is a slice through all sections of society in Iran that keep a blog. Which is why, short of finding a 60 million page book with an interview on each page you will not get a better glimpse of Iran from any other source that I have seen.

But it is much more than that. It's about people anywhere and how they experience life, but it just happens to be Iran. But because it is written by Iranians they are more revealing, more poetic and more moving than an average emotionally constipated teenager who has grown up in a less challenging environment. I don't think I made it through many chapters with dry eyes.

Also I didn't think it had much of an editorial theme, whether that is a good thing or not I don't know.

It includes opinions from all sides of the political spectrum, albeit on balance there are more anti establishment views than pro establishment. But I didn't think that was selective editing, more the nature of youth culture in any society. If you took a poll of youth opinion in the US, would the majority be pro Washington? Probably not.

So it follows that as the majority of the Iranians in Iran are under 30, the majority will have anti establishment views. But that is not a bad thing, nor a sign of social instability. It has always been the vocation of the young to hold their ancestors to account for the society they are inheriting.

It will be interesting to see how that changes if there is a second edition in 20 years time and the Iranian baby boomers are middle aged with teenage children and `proper jobs'. Will they, like me, be swaying their head from side to side in dismay at how `young people dress these days' and how loud they play their music in their cars, and why don't they sit up straight when they drive ...

I love this book's cover. The frontcover's bottom half features a photo of two young Iranian women, presumably out for the evening, meeting up with other friends. I like the photo because it presents (contrary to what certain elements in our government, our media, or our Israeli allies want Americans to believe) Iranians as people who share the same habits and activities as much as the rest of the world. It is an image of the smiling pretty faces of women, not the grim and bearded ones of clerics and fanatics, which too often come into our minds when we hear the name "Iran." It is an image most befitting a book about the thousands of young Iranians who've dedicated themselves to circulating news and information from throughout the world, as well as their own thoughts and opinions -- despite the constant pressures of harassment and punishment.

Nasrin Alavi begins with a brief look at journalist Hossein Derakhshan who started one of the very first Persian language blogs back in 2001. In response to a reader's request, he created a do-it-yourself guide to blogging. Derakhshan's simple guide would create a phenomenon. By 2003, there were over 64,000 Persian language blogs, with Persian now the fourth most common language on the internet!

While certainly some of the Persian blogs are in line with the Islamic Republic's ideology, the overwhelming majority were started in reponse to the regime's clampdown on print journalism. Most Iranian youth (70% of Iran's population is under 30 years old) have utilized the blog format not only to voice anger and frustration over their government and its philosophies, but also for the opportunity to discuss quite a variety of things: String Theory, Czech writer Milan Kundera, Iranian pre-Islamic history and religion, the latest in both western and Iranian film and music, etc. Actual blog transcripts and their addresses pepper the book and show an Iranian youth population which seems to be more mature, thoughtful and educated than many of their American counterparts.

WE ARE IRAN provides us with a momentary glimpse of the struggle of the Post-Revolution generation to democratize their country. The cost for them can be high. The Iranian government has made closing down blogs a major priority. Recently, a blogger was sentenced to prison for 14 years.
Technology helped bring about the Islamic Revolution, Khomeini's sermons and speeches were circulated amongst the people through cassette tapes. Hopefully, technology will also bring about it's demise.

I've already put this coment on Amazon.co.uk. But I liked this book so much that I want to share this with you here too. Althogh I read it once, I'm now reading it again.
The press reviews in the UK that I've come across are glowing, but I've also read a review of this book by an Iranian blogger Shokrolahi (on a Persian website) who has just about issued a religious fatwa against it, even though he admits that he hasn't read it. There have also been hysterical calls to leave negative comments on the Amazon site and they are there on Amzaon.co.uk. What is the point of damming a book you haven't even read? The thing is that they will only force people like me who wouldn't ordinarily bother to do reviews to write about it.
The book is about everything and anything Iranian. This book to me was ultimately about the freedom of expression. My one criticism is that I would have liked to see the author expand on some of the issues especially in chapter 4, in that it may leave non-Iranians with unanswered questions. But I think my best compliment to this book is that as an Iranian I was consciously trying to gauge the author's political leanings and bias and in the end I just couldn't. But I absolutely loved it, because the quotes are real, so moving and intimate and the book is skillfully put together and the closest outsiders will get to the way Iranians think and feel about life and the outside world. It also offers us hope to see a people struggling for a civil society without resorting violence and war, the author depicts vividly how Iranians have had enough of all that. A whole new generation that was not even around during the revolution 25 years ago (70% 0f Iran) is struggling against the fanatics and will in the end win. A lot of people always say that all we hear are the loonies of the Islamic world. Here's the chance to hear the silenced majority.

This is much of a confession as it is a book review. To me, Iran was too much of a good thing that turned sour after the revolution. Somehow I got to believe in a universal transformation of a whole people and a whole culture into "fanatic revolutionary zombies."

This book symbolically "unveils" Iran. I am much more capable of singling out the "revolutionary zombies" as the noisy governing few. This book is an introduction to names, places, to songs, singers (what a beautiful name Googoosh has!!), to poetry, to festivals, ideals, and to real people of a real vibrant culture. It would be wonderful if we can get similar insider views of North Korea!

I read this book because of my interest in internet and communications and was not quite prepared for the wonderful journey that I took. I'm not as eloquent and moving as the bloggers or the author of this book. So I don't know how to explain but I found the whole book somewhat startling. I'm ashamed to admit that a likely reason is that perhaps on some level I consider people of the Middle East and Iranians as less civilized. I know it's shocking and it's personally shocking to even type these words.

But the Iranians I found on the pages of this book were clever, funny, intelligent, courageous dignified and much much more. I also learnt about a great civilisation and a recent unimaginable history. I recommend this book to anyone that wants to listen in on the conservations of this unknown nation behind closed doors. I agree with the author that worst thing that could possibly happen to this country now is a US attack.

I bought this book last week to read over the holidays. I know it sounds like a cliché but I really could not put it down. The intimates poignant flowery Persian voices will make you laugh and cry. As you read you will come across a spectrum of views and a hopeful and promising Iran will come alive on the pages.

If you are not Iranian and you are interested in Iran it will be an eye opener about a society in flower. This is all I wanted to say, but I have come a across a review here that I am forced to respond to.

I know that the Iranian government is trying to close down these blogs and has imprisoned many bloggers. Just as it has closed down hundreds of newspapers and imprisoned many journalists. Even on Amazon some reviewer (who has evidently not read it) has referred to them as group living in "La-la land". Why are the supporters of the Iranian regime so scared of the truth? No, Iran's youth don't live in "La-la land" but in Iran so get used to that. I was so moved by some of the writing that I sent out several emails and they were real enough to respond. This book is also not about the affluent youth of North Tehran. Read it and you'll be taken aback as I was. Trust me the affluent kids like you or I have either left Iran or have other ways of occupying themselves. I am at least able to admit that I do not have the courage of these bloggers and fearful of reprisals will not be putting my real name on this Amazon review.

Just look at the bloggers like Mojtaba Saminejad recently arrested they are mostly educated kids from traditional working class families, whose mothers wear chadors. I'm sure while Mojtaba is in jail his mother brews tea on a traditional Samovar instead of sipping cappuccinos. Who would have guessed it 27 years ago that the children of radical revolutionaries, would have turned out to be the most educated and liberal youth in the Middle East today. These are the voices of the children of that revolution who have experienced the reality of living under such a regimes and now want reform and change. I hope that one day I will be able to look back at these blogs as a distant moving memory, as we do today at the diaries of Anne Frank.

To be honest with you I thought this book was going to be full of cliches and rather shallow. I thought oh no not another odd book about Iran. I hated the title for a start. But a friend bought it for my birthday so I started reading it as after all it was about Iran. I just could not put it down and read it in a very short space of time. I don't know if this version is different as I have read the book published in the UK.
This book is really Iran. At least it is the Iran I grew up in until the age of 23. I studied at university in Iran and am presently a postgrad student. I am not a hypersensitive person, but it made me cry a few times and laugh out loud a lot and I mean a lot. It was so moving to read comments that felt so real, it made me very homesick as it reminded me of the conversions I used to have with friends and family back home. I also liked the factual explanations of the author that put the comments in context and showed non-Iranians who we are and what we have been through. Thank you for finally showing the world the true face of Iran.