Should Your Book Club Read The Lonely War by Nazila Fathi?

Should your book club read The Lonely War by Nazila Fathi?  The answer is absolutely yes!  This wonderful memoir was the 2015-16 season's nonfiction selection for Literary Masters book groups and salons, and almost everyone loved it.  I say 'almost' because some people only 'liked it a lot'.  Some avid nonfiction readers said it was the best nonfiction book they had read in ages.  Everyone agreed that it is worth reading and also important reading, considering what's going on in the world today.

So, what can your book club discuss?

Warp-speed plot summary:  Nazila Fathi was born in Tehran in 1970 and was all of nine years old when the revolution occurred and ushered in a whole new world for the Iranian people.  Although many families fled the country, Nazila's stayed, and she grew into adulthood in the new Islamic state.  Fluent in English, Nazila was eventually hired to write for the New York Times until she and her family (her husband and two children) were forced to flee the country in 2009.  In this memoir, Nazila takes the reader through her journey as well as the journey of the country of Iran and its people.  As the years progress, we witness the growing pains of each as they grapple with new identities.

You'll want to talk about how/whether this book has affected your view of Iran and the Iranian people.  Literary Masters members are well educated and very engaged in world affairs, but still, almost everyone said they learned quite a bit about the revolution and the people involved--and about what the Iranian people wanted.  You'll want to discuss the Iranians' desire for democracy--and what has happened to it since 1979.  You'll want to think about how US and British historical actions (think Moussadeq) affected the Iranian's attitude toward the West and helped contribute to bringing about the revolution.  You'll want to connect all of this to today's world, of course--a long conversation in itself!

Related to the above, you'll want to discuss what you think Iran's main problem is.  And you'll definitely want to discuss what it is that you admire about Iran.

You'll want to discuss the class system in Iran and how the regime used it to further their aims.  Was is a mutually beneficial relationship?  Who came out ahead and who came out behind as a result of all the tumult?  Ask yourselves: How responsible is the class system for the revolution?  Also ask yourselves: Does anything like this exist in America?

You'll want to talk about the various ideologies vying for power in Iran.  Talk about how those who are in power get and remain there.  Also, talk about the ways ordinary citizens survive or thrive under the various power structures.  Also, talk about university students and technology--and the power that resides there!

You'll want to talk about Iran in relation to its neighbors.  Talk about how you think Iranians feel about themselves in comparison to other countries in the region.  And how they feel about their political leaders, both historical and current.

You'll want to talk about national security vs. individual freedoms:  how do you feel about this debate with regard to our country after reading this book?  How do we balance the two?  If one side deserves more weight than the other, how do we keep it in check so we don't topple over?

You'll want to discuss Ms. Fathi's parents and how they dealt with all the changes they were going through.  If there was one criticism of the book from Literary Masters members, it was that they wanted to know more of the personal experiences of the family.  (Sequel, Ms. Fathi?)

You'll want to talk about the experience of women in Iran.  Try to look at is AS a woman in Iran.  And of course, look at it AS a western woman (or whatever you may be).  This was quite the discussion in all Literary Masters groups!  You will definitely want to discuss the veil!

You'll want to talk about oil and its effect upon the people of Iran.

You'll want to talk about Ms. Fathi.  Do you think she offers a balanced view or is she biased in her telling of Iran's recent history?  The subtitle is "One Woman's Account of the Struggle for Modern Iran." Is she acknowledging bias on her part?  Does her memoir connect you to the Iranian people or to Islam or to Iranian culture or to anything/anyone else in a new way?

You'll want to talk about the relationship between the author and her maid.  How do you feel about the choices Ms. Fathi makes?  How do you feel about the choices the maid makes?

Well, this should get you started!  Let me know how your book club enjoys discussing this wonderful memoir!

Literary Awards Season!

I just love this time of year, as you all know!  Long lists and shortlists are out, and there is so much to 'dig deep' into!  If you missed it, the 2016-17 Literary Masters LIST has been posted, and our October selection The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead has also landed on the long list for the National Book Award for fiction, while our May choice The Sellout by Paul Beatty is now short listed for the Man Booker Prize.

Here are the long list titles for the National Book Award:

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
Sweet Lamb of Heaven by Lydia Millet
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett
The Association of Small Bombs by Karan Mahajan
The Throwback Special by Chris Bachelder
What Belongs to You by Garth Greenwell
Miss Jane by Brad Watson
The Portable Veblen by Elizabeth McKenzie

And here are the titles on the short list for the Man Booker Prize:

The Sellout by Paul Beatty
Hot Milk by Deborah Levy
His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet
Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
All That Man Is by David Szalay
Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien

Don't you just LOVE this time of year?  Let me know what you're reading from the above lists!

Why Read to a Child?

I am so moved by the story of a woman who passed away this week.  And I didn't even know her.  Anna Dewdney was just 50 years old, the mother of two girls, and an author of the very popular picture book series Llama Llama.  This headline of a story in The Washington Post caught my eye: "This beloved children's author didn't want a funeral.  She said read to a child instead."

The WAPO article refers to an opinion piece that Anna Dewdney wrote for the The Wall Street Journal in 2013.  It's titled "How Books Can Teach Your Child To Care," and it eloquently lays out the argument that we should read to our children, and promote their reading, not just for literacy's sake, but because reading stories develops empathy in children.  Here is an excerpt:

"However, empathy is as important as literacy. When we read with a child, we are doing so much more than teaching him to read or instilling in her a love of language.  We are doing something that I believe is just as powerful, and it is something that we are losing as a culture: by reading with a child, we are teaching that child to be human.  When we open a book, and share our voice and imagination with a child, that child learns to see the world through someone else’s eyes.  I will go further and say that that child then learns to feel the world more deeply, becoming more aware of himself and others in a way that he simply cannot experience except in our laps, or in our classrooms, or in our reading circles.

We learn empathy as children, through our interactions with the people in our lives and by experiencing the world around us.  When we read books with children, we share other worlds, and even more importantly, we share ourselves.  Reading with children makes an intimate, human connection that teaches that child what it means to be alive as one of many beings on the planet. We are naming feelings, sharing experience, and expressing love and understanding, all in a safe environment.  When we read a book with children, then children – no matter how stressed, no matter how challenged – are drawn out of themselves to bond with other human beings, and to see and feel the experiences of others.  I believe that it is this moment that makes us human.  In this sense, reading makes us human."

Perhaps this resonates with me so much because of what I do.  Time and again in our Literary Masters Parent/Child book groups, I see the ability of stories to open the eyes and minds of our members as we explore sometimes difficult issues via the safe space of fictional characters.  Time and again we try to 'get inside the  head' of the villain so we can understand his or her motivations.  Time and again we ask ourselves "What would we do in this situation?"  Having these discussions makes us think about ourselves in relation to others; we become more empathetic as we imagine how it must it feel, or how it would be.  We explore our own feelings and as we come to know ourselves better, we become more curious about others' feelings.  In essence, we are learning to care.

You can read Anna Dewdney's obituary here.  And yes, instead of a funeral, she asked that you read to a child.  Wow.  Talk about empathy.