PTPI Blog

Questions answered by Kristine Knutter, Youth Programs Coordinator for PTPI.

6. Life in the Islamic Republic as described by Nafisi was burdened with censorship, fear and anti-west propaganda.   Discuss how this affects individuals and societies collectively.

The author Azar Nafisi was extremely frustrated with a leftist Marxist organization, which included her student Mahtab. The group felt that “focusing on women’s rights was individualist and bourgeois and played into their (the government) hands.”  However, Nafisi and other women knew that women’s problems were very real. Not only women prostitutes were being stoned to death. Nafisi’s former school principal was accused of “corruption on earth, sexual offenses and violation off the decency of morality.”  The accusations were not because of lewd actions but because she was the minister of education. For this, she was either stoned or shot to death.

One of my favorite quotes is by Edmund Burk and follows, “No passion so effectively robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear.”

I think that Azar Nafisi and her closest female students demonstrated defiance and courage in an environment in which fear and the morality police ran rampant. Both publicly and privately they engaged in rebellions acts such as allowing strands of hair to show from beneath their chador. In addition to publicly protesting the Government’s role in degrading women’s rights, Nafisi engaged in her personal passion of incessant reading and writing. (It’s clear she wasn’t reading religious texts but rather; chose texts she most enjoyed.) She wrote on page 112, “I felt a silent defiance that may also have shaped my public desire to defend a vague and amorphous entity I thought of as myself.” I think Nafisi showed great courage in holding onto her individual values despite the potential consequences.

8. Did you find any parallels between the characters in the book and your own life?  What kind of parallels or lessons did you learn from the book?

One of the lessons that I learned from this book are that if you are passionate about something, you can use your own unique talents to make a difference. In addition, one must allow themselves to feel pan to better deal with tragedy.

Nafisi details how the American-British author Henry James was not able to physically participate in World War I because of a back injury though he supported and aided the British through writing letters. In one of his letters to a friend whose husband was killed he wrote, “Feel, feel, I say—feel for all you’re worth, and even if it half kills you, for that is the only way to live, especially to live at this terrible pressure, and the only way to honour and celebrate these admirable beings who are our pride and our inspiration.”

I think that when people experience tragedy it can be difficult to allow themselves to feel pain. It’s hard to think clearly and learn from experiences if we don’t allow ourselves this experience. While I cannot imagine trying to allow yourself to feel pain for all of the tragedies that unfold while your country is in a conflict, I still feel it’s a better alternative than allowing yourself to become numb or act out violently. Nafisi writes, “Feeling would stir up empathy and would remind them that life was worth living.”

The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of  People to People International or that of PTPI’s Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.

Questions answered by Jill Helsel, Chapter Coordinator, Americas Region at PTPI.

3. Many people in the world take basic freedoms for granted.  What conversations or topics about freedom surprised you the most?

There are countless discussions of freedom within Reading Lolita in Tehran; some of them shocking and others more subtle.  There was one instance within the book that stood out to me the most in terms of being denied freedom.  It may not have been the most appalling example to some, but for me it certainly was an eye-opener.

Beginning on page 220, Nafisi describes an experience which took place while she was teaching a course at Alzahrah University, an all-girls college in Iran.  When grading the midterm exams, she found that a majority of the class had repeated her lecture word for word, rather than answering the questions in their own words.  Assuming that they had cheated, she reprimanded the class rather harshly.  It was later explained to Nafisi that “From the first day they had set foot in elementary school, they had been told to memorize.  They had been told that their own opinions counted for nothing”.  The character Razieh explained it to Nafisi in this way, “Most of these girls have never had anyone praise them for anything.  They have never been told they are any good or that they should think independently.”  The idea of being denied the opportunity to simply have my own thoughts and opinions and to feel as though they actually matter is beyond my comprehension.  I have always been taught that my opinions and feelings are important and never realized what a blessing that truly is.

4. Discuss some of the prominent themes in the book, which was published in 2003, and the relevance to what you read in the news today about life in Iran.  Did you feel more of a connection to the struggles they face?  What are your thoughts when you read about some of the current events?  Do you wonder if any of the book club members are involved in any current day protests?

Of the many themes that are present within Reading Lolita in Tehran, the desire for education, particularly a woman’s right to education, resonated the most in my thoughts.  At the core of education is a longing for change in one’s life, to be something more and to experience new obstacles.  For the women in this book, education was an avenue through which they could strive to be an individual and to create a life of their own.

I often wonder if any of the book club members are involved in any current day protests in Iran.  Based upon the descriptions Nafisi gives in her epilogue of those book club members who stayed in Iran, I can definitely envision them taking part in protests and continuing to stand up for what they believe in.  On the other hand, perhaps they are content with their lives and do not want to bring any trouble or hardship upon their family.  It would be interesting to hear their current viewpoints and whether or not they have changed since they were part of Nafisi’s book club.

5. One prominent topic throughout the book was the wearing of the chador and the personal struggle between wearing it by choice or by force.   The decision to wear the veil or not to wear the veil could result in jail time and or the loss of a job. What do you think you might have done if you had been in the same situation?

It is incredibly difficult, if not impossible, to say with certainty what I might have done if I were in the same situation.  The first obstacle is that I am not a Muslim woman, so I cannot claim to have any idea of how important it would be to me personally whether or not to wear the veil.  Secondly, I believe this is something you would simply have to experience firsthand to know how you would handle it.  I am inclined to think that if the livelihood of my family, particularly my children, were on the line I would have no choice but to abide by the law and wear the veil.  I cannot see myself sacrificing the well being of my family, regardless of how much I believed in my right to freedom.

If it were a choice between not wearing the veil and my children having a home and food to eat, I would definitely do what was best for my children.  However, I would make sure that my children understood what was happening and why I had made the decision I had made.  As an expectant mother, with a baby boy on the way, I definitely looked at this question from a very different angle than I may have in the past.  Again, this is all just speculation on my part as I cannot claim to have even the slightest notion of what it was like to be a woman in Iran during this period in time.

The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of  People to People International or that of PTPI’s Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.

Rosanne Rosen, PTPI’s Senior Vice President of Operations, bravely volunteered to share her thoughts on the first discussion questions.  Her answers are below.  We are eager to hear your thoughts and opinions.  Join the discussion and leave a comment!

1. Would you recommend this book to others?  Discuss your reasons.

I would definitely recommend Reading Lolita in Tehran to anyone.  Our book club members found some initial challenges with the book since none of us had read Lolita and weren’t as familiar with some of the other works of literature mentioned in the book.  However, what I found fascinating was more Nafisi’s dialogue about life in Iran, the struggles women face and their absolute desire for education.  Growing up in Kansas, education was a right and going to college was expected.  There was never any doubt about ‘if’ I would go to college, it was just ‘where’ and what career path I would choose.

I often wondered while reading the book, what would I have done in a similar situation?  Would I have been involved in the protests?  Would I have just ‘gone along’ to not create trouble or problems for myself or my family?  I don’t think one can answer that question with real honesty unless faced with the absolute consequences the women in Iran face.  We started reading this book while the election protest was taking place in the streets of Iran and I couldn’t help but stare at the pictures of the young women bravely protesting and wonder what their lives were like and feeling more of a bond with them than I ever would have before reading the book.

2. What were your initial reactions to the book?  Could you relate to the author or did you more closely relate to one of her students whose lives we became more involved with as we progressed through the narrative?  What were your impressions of the correlation between famous works of literature and the daily struggles of life in Iran?  Would you have joined the book club knowing the risks involved with being a part of the club?

I enjoyed the book from the beginning and would love to meet Nafisi.  She was articulate, passionate, and encouraging to her students and the kind of teacher every student wants.  I felt somewhat of a kinship with her as we are very close in age.  In the beginning of the book when she talks about the events leading up to and during the Iranian revolution, I couldn’t help but think about the Iranian students I shared classrooms with at Drake University.  We were friendly; however they had their clubs and I had mine.  Our paths didn’t cross except in the classroom.  Never once can I remember did I ever take the time to explore with them the details of their life in Iran.

I do remember one conversation with one of the Iranian students that she didn’t know if she would ever go back to Iran.  I know I’ve changed since I was that 18-year-old young woman more interested in my own studies and social life; however, now looking back with the wisdom of time, how I wish I had invited her to lunch, coffee, to my dorm room, somewhere to learn more about her and her life in Iran.  It’s difficult to say whether or not I would have joined the book club knowing the risks.  I’d like to answer with a resounding YES!  However, in reality, I am only basing that on my own set of values, beliefs, traditions which have been instilled in me since childhood.

The opinions expressed by PTPI staff and other book club members are entirely their own and are not necessarily the views of  People to People International or that of PTPI’s Officers, Board of Directors and Board of Trustees.