Recent Reading

Persian Girls By Nahid Rachlin

Rachlin's autobiography -- which she wrote in memory of her sister Pari, who died falling down a flight of stairs, or rather, of a series of unhappy marriages and unhappy events in her life. Pari had married, somewhat against her will, to a man that she thought promised her freedom, an unlikely luxury for a woman living in Iran, even under the Shah who presented himself as a Westernized progressive. That freedom never came, the divorce eventually came through, but at the expense of almost never seeing her son again. That pain tormented Pari for the rest of her life, even after she re-married. It is harrowing reading Rachlin's description of the beautiful and lively Pari, full of hope and dreams as a teenager, gradually descended into a woman of depression and despair. A strong spirit who probably would have thrived had she been born at another time, at another place; Pari perished, like many others in that part of the world, due to an utter lack of options to live life as they wanted to.

Rachlin only avoided the same fate because she ended up in America. Her father was initially strongly against the idea, but he was afraid her progressive taste of reading and other habits would get the family in trouble in those very dangerous and turbulent times in Iran, and finally relented. After graduating from college, she disobeyed her father by not returning home and moving to NYC to build of life of her own, which she did, and is now an accomplished writer.

Memorable Quote:

"Dearest Pari, it is to bring you back to life that I write this book."