I admit I had a really difficult time trying to get into this book. I would only recommend it to a particular type of reader. A casual reader might find the details and complexity of names and characters difficult to stick with. I found myself at a loss for not knowing the books discussed, and her correlations about the women in the group and the books of her classroom were difficult to make.

I agree with Kristine’s statements about Nafisi’s writing style. When she was more poetic and conversational, I was engaged, but in the others that were more academic I found I was losing interest. I put this book down many times, which doesn’t usually happen for me.

I finally gave up about 85 pages in. Maybe at some point I will pick it back up.

1. I would recommend this book to individuals who are interested in learning more about the Iranian Revolution and women’s rights. I would also recommend it to those who have a fascination with literature; specifically, the idea of how particular literary works can transcend from being merely words on pages to becoming integral pieces of a person’s life. If you are not interested in such topics, this may be a challenging read. Throughout the book, literary references are intertwined with the author’s experiences and stories, providing a very unique format for delivering a message. The style in which the book is written may be captivating to some, while frustrating to others. Despite my initial difficulties with writing style, I was eventually able to feel as though I was being drawn into the story and the characters began to come to life for me.

2. Initially, I had a difficult time becoming engaged in the story and connecting with the characters in this book. In certain passages, I found Nafisi’s writing to be very poetic and lively. In other sections of the book, I thought it was more academic and difficult to process. The lack of a continuous writing style presented a challenge for me in terms of settling into the rhythm of the book.

Within the book, Nafisi weaves in and out of the pages of several classic literary works, connecting the literature to various aspects of daily life in Iran. What I found most fascinating in her discussions of literature, both personally and within her book club, is that she seemed to find refuge in the pages of those beloved books. The literature was a sanctuary for her. It kept her going and gave her a sense of purpose during difficult times. Although it was sometimes difficult to understand, not being well-versed in some of the works she discusses, it was at the same time easy to discern the feelings she was trying to convey. When experiencing difficulty processing her literary references, I often referred back to the following quote from page. 39, “Curiously, the novels we escaped into led us finally to question and prod our own realities, about which we felt so helplessly speechless”. I felt this was the perfect explanation of the reason why those literary references are so important to the story.

1. I recommend this book because I feel that the author, Azar Nafisi enables you to experience life in Iran in a way that you cannot get from watching the news. I feel that this book is especially insightful as to how intelligent women cope with oppression of all forms.

2. Immediately, the reader is introduced to more than a handful of important characters. Trying to identify the characters with names I had not heard before was overwhelming. In retrospect, I realize I should have taken notes about each of the characters throughout the book.

The book did not captivate me as I had originally thought it would. I was never able to read more than 10-15 pages at a time and thus, the lack of continuity made it more difficult for me to absorb the material. I struggled with the literary references and skimmed through some of the sections. I do not have a background in studying English literature, and being unfamiliar with Nabokov and Henry James was frustrating for me. Eventually, however, I attained an appreciation for the books the girls read and began to understand how they found solace in their readings.

The idea of a secret book club was fascinating to me and I could imagine myself sneaking away to join a secret and illegal women’s book club; throwing off my chador to be comfortable, eat, laugh, complain about my daily struggles and discuss literature with other women. I can see how these meetings were therapeutic and enabled the women to cope with their daily realities.