John S. (Seajack) reviewed Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran on + 347 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Author is very intelligent, and writes well, but her agonizing over her bi-cultural background (not fitting in anywhere) grew old fast!
Michelle P. (MichellePostOffice) reviewed Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran on + 74 more book reviews
Lipstick Jihad is a wonderful introduction to the conflicted culture that is Iran today, and how women carry the burdens of that conflict. Azadeh Moaveni is a clear and excellent writer, and she loves Iran and its people, even as she is endlessly frustrated and angered by its restrictions on women.
She shows us that many Iranians want good relations with the rest of the world, and many deeply religious people would prefer a secular government. This was one of the first books that helped me see Iran in its full humanity, rather than through the lens of politics and "U.S. interests." The reader comes to share some of Moaveni's admiration for the culture, and some of her anger as well. But mostly one comes away seeing that the people of Iran are grappling with their own destiny; that there are forces for democracy working hard there; and that it is a complex country that will determine its own future intelligently if allowed to do so.
She shows us that many Iranians want good relations with the rest of the world, and many deeply religious people would prefer a secular government. This was one of the first books that helped me see Iran in its full humanity, rather than through the lens of politics and "U.S. interests." The reader comes to share some of Moaveni's admiration for the culture, and some of her anger as well. But mostly one comes away seeing that the people of Iran are grappling with their own destiny; that there are forces for democracy working hard there; and that it is a complex country that will determine its own future intelligently if allowed to do so.
Monica P. reviewed Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran on + 2 more book reviews
Interesting material if you can get through her poor writing style.
Laura N. (LauraBookworm) reviewed Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran on + 12 more book reviews
i liked this book. It really gave me a great look at a womens prospective of culture in America and in Egypt. Very enjoyable.
Emi B. (wantonvolunteer) -
I have been trying to read Madeline Albright's book The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs (which is mostly about American politics relating to the Middle East) since it came out in 2006 and am still only half way through it six freaking years later. But I finished Lipstick Jihad (which explains the same subject matter) in a little over a week, savoring every chapter. Moaveni is entertaining rather than didactic; reading her is like listening to a hilarious friend vent in a highly educational sort of way.
I love a book written by a journalist, and am also a sucker for the multi-cultural genre, and a third category I enjoy is the ambiguous descriptor "haunting"; Lipstick Jihad fits all three. Azadeh Moaveni was born in northern California, to divorced Iranian exiles and the close-knit worldwide Iranian diaspora. As a rebellious teenager she suffers being Iranian in America; then after a brief stint as a student in Cairo she goes on to feel disadvantaged in Iran as an American. Throughout the book Moaveni generously shares stories of her family's squabbles, struggles, and even the random scandal. I wish she were as forthcoming with details about her own love life but I guess that's just my nosiness. She published this book before she turned 30, I hope there will be many more parts of her memoir to come.
I love a book written by a journalist, and am also a sucker for the multi-cultural genre, and a third category I enjoy is the ambiguous descriptor "haunting"; Lipstick Jihad fits all three. Azadeh Moaveni was born in northern California, to divorced Iranian exiles and the close-knit worldwide Iranian diaspora. As a rebellious teenager she suffers being Iranian in America; then after a brief stint as a student in Cairo she goes on to feel disadvantaged in Iran as an American. Throughout the book Moaveni generously shares stories of her family's squabbles, struggles, and even the random scandal. I wish she were as forthcoming with details about her own love life but I guess that's just my nosiness. She published this book before she turned 30, I hope there will be many more parts of her memoir to come.
eyecaregurl -
Good first hand experience of life in Iran. I enjoyed the book.
Sandy M. (sandybeach1148) reviewed Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran on
Very interesting story. The story especially piqued my interest, because I live near the place that the author grew up in the San Francisco Bay area.
M.C. W. (merrytranslator) reviewed Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran on + 68 more book reviews
Interesting book about growing up Iranian in the U.S.--then going "home".
JoAnn G. (bookwoman28) reviewed Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran on + 166 more book reviews
Born in Palo Alto, CA, to an Iranian family exiled by the Islamic Revolution, the author always felt torn by her inability to connect physically with her lost homeland. As a correspondent for Time magazine, she moves to Iran at the end of the 1990's to experience firsthand the restlessness of the youth, and their resistance to the Islamic extremists who dominate politically, and attempt to control every facet of personal life. This book is her personal story of a search for a homeland that may no longer exist. A Kirkus Reviews "Best Book of the Year."
