A. J. C. (Bibliocrates) reviewed on 2/26/2008 + 252 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I found some of the reviews for this book surprising. I too found it slow going and difficult to read at times, but it is, after all, a memoir in books, so I was prepared to read a lot about books and literary criticism. Azar Nafisi is a professor having taught English literature in Tehran and this book is about her experiences with some of her students as they got together to discuss Western literature. Of course the book focuses on literature, especially Nabokov, but it also focuses on oppression, her students, and what they all went through during this time in Revolutionary Iran, a melancholy analysis of how their lives compared to the lives of those they were reading about. I liked this book, but it may have been easier to read if I had read all of the literature referenced. Literary criticism is the backbone of this book, so if that bores you, this book is not for you.

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