Whenever talk of books and opinions come up, I'm always drawn back to one of the most inspiring books Reading Lolita In Tehran by Azar Nafisi. Set in Tehran under the "veil" of political tyranny, this character-based book makes you appreciate the value of free speech and democracy.
Especially as she narrates her experience using the four great books and writers: Lolita, The Great Gatsby, Henry James and Jane Austen, it paints such a vivid picture for the life and culture of the women in Tehran. As only a sensitive writer could, she draws parallels between the books and the characters in her life so vividly that you cant help but get lost between the pages of today and fiction.
I was even more excited when I got to see her address the students at Boston University a few years ago where she faced some questions regarding her political point of view, on being neoconservative and pushing the Bush propaganda. As Nafisi said it best (paraphrased)...my interests like in literature not politics. All I asked is to be allowed to read, what I want, when I want...too grand a dream for some?
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