Five reasons why you should buy my friend Azadeh’s book
1) Because she’s supersmart, writes with delightful wit and levity, and has an acute eye for the telling detail and irony that best convey a broad observation – her recent Time piece Fast Times in Tehran will give you a taste;
2) Because, in the finest “Rootless Cosmopolitan” tradition, she’s entirely suspended between two worlds, as her subtitle suggests — and that gives her the unique insights of the outsider in both;
3) Because Iran is very important right now, and it is far, far more complex than even the best Western reporting can convey. You need a guide;
4) Because she does the Proust thing of allowing the delicious recipes of her childhood serve as her link to her Persian roots, and those lavish descriptions of pilafs and lamb stews will have you running to the fine food store for saffron and pomegranates; and
5) Because she’s a fresh voice who makes nonsense of tired “clash of cultures” cliches.
And, of course, because she’s a long-time subscriber to the Tony Karon email blog that preceded this site!
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