With the ongoing war in Iraq, Americans have developed an interest in the Islamic religion and culture that has governed the countries of Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran for so long.
In the past few years, some quality works of literature have been produced in which the cultures and traditions of the Iranian and Iraqi people are accurately represented for readers. These books also provide a window into the conditions of Middle Eastern nations from the '70s all the way to the present.
America has been known as the "country of the free." This is important to us, because America was once under the control of a monarchy and the colonists had to fight hard to win their independence. For years, citizens of countries like Iran and Iraq have been fighting for their own freedom from tyranny.
As Americans, we are privileged to have a Constitution that guarantees us certain inalienable freedoms and rights as human beings. Although the Constitution was written hundreds of years ago, it has taken our country just as long in its progress to fully include all citizens, and we are still not there. Reading books like "Reading Lolita in Tehran," "The Kite Runner" and "The Bookseller of Kabul," has given me a greater understanding of the history of Iran and Iraq and the terrible conditions and laws under which the majority of the people are forced to live.
The injustices raged against the people in the Middle East and many other parts of the world should remind us how fortunate we are to live in America. Americans tend to take for granted freedoms from "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" to the simple act of a woman walking down a street with a man or reading a book written by an American.
Books can provide readers with so much more than entertainment. We look to them for answers to questions and for help in understanding the many events taking place in our own lives and those that may have happened before.
Just as books like "The Diary of Ann Frank," "Night" by Elie Wiesel and "Schindler's List" became important in our comprehension of World War II and the Holocoaust, so will the fictional and non-fictional works by authors like Khaled Hosseini, Azar Nafisi, and Asne Seierstad be acclaimed.
In "Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books," the author Azar Nafisi was forced to leave the job she loved and the home she had always known, in exile to the United States. Nafisi, who is now a literature professor at Johns Hopkins University, wrote "Reading Lolita in Tehran" in 2003. Her book is based on her own experiences as a professor of English literature at the University of Tehran, the Free Islamic University and the University of Allameh Tabatabai.
It was not easy for Azar Nafisi to continue to teach in Tehran. She was harassed and violated by guards and bullied by officials, yet she continued to fight for the right to an education until the end. Although devastating to her and her family, Nafisi's exile to the United States finally gave her the opportunity to write about her past 18 years in Iran. This is something she would never have been able to do while in Iran and enough to condemn her to death if she were ever to return; yet she chose to tell us her story, and does so with truth and beauty.
For the last two years before her exile in 1997, Nafisi gathered seven female students in her home once a week to discuss literature within the context of the political and religious tensions the women were feeling in their own lives. These young women came into the group with a wide range of beliefs, progressive and conservative, religious and secular. All of these women understood the meaning of oppression and found an outlet for their frustrations and fears in their continued education.
What readers will find most rewarding is the glimpse Nafisi offers into the many trials she faces. Her strength and emotions are transmitted to her readers as they relive her experiences of triumph, devastation, love and loss.
Yet, Nafisi's memoir is unique in that it is reflected in the novels her own classes and the seven women in her home studied. Besides chronicling her own life experiences and the actions she is forced to take as the Iranian government places more and more control over women's lives, she discusses their experiences within the context of great works of literature like "The Great Gatsby," "Pride and Prejudice," "Wuthering Heights," "Lolita" and many others.
While "Reading Lolita in Tehran" focuses primarily on the oppression of women and their lack of rights in Iran under the Islamic regime of the time, "The Bookseller of Kabul" and "The Kite Runner" provide depictions of life in Afghanistan and the many changes the country undergoes, mostly detrimental to its citizens.
Asne Seierstad is a journalist and war correspondent from Norway. She has lived in many war-torn regions of the world including Chechnya, the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq. While in Afghanistan, she spent three months with the Kahn family and documents their story in "The Bookseller of Kabul."
Using her journalistic talents and inquisitiveness, Asne Seierstad provides not only an account of day-to-day life in Kabul, but background on the family members, like how Sultan and his first wife met, and how and when he decided to take a second wife. She does well in bringing in both sides of the story, the first wife's perspective and opinion, Sultan's family's sentiments and that of the young girl he chooses.
In Sultan's character, Seierstad paints a portrait of another person who strove to share his love of literature with the masses. Sultan Kahn is a proud and respected man who, over three decades, has continued to provide his countrymen with books forbidden by the Taliban. As his country tries to rebuild in the post-Sept. 11 era, Sultan's family's own activities and difficulties mirror those of their neighbors and show that they have many obstacles yet to overcome.
Before previously stashing his most valuable books all over Kabul, Sultan witnesses the burning of many beloved and precious works of Afghani and foreign literature. Sultan is thrown into jail numerous times for disobeying the rules of the Taliban. Sultan's resistance is evidence of his hope that one day he may no longer have to hide.
While Nafisi focused on the teaching of English literature, Sultan Kahn's goal and priority is to keep the country's own literature and history alive. He strives to spread the works of his countrymen to the world, showing that Afghanistan has much to offer and cherish despite the discouragement the people feel as they try to break free from the tyrannical rulers that mar their development away from the violent era of oppression described in this next book.
In his debut novel, "The Kite Runner," Kahled Hosseini presents an eye-opening coming of age story, narrated by the main character Amir. Although fictional, Kahled Hosseini's own experiences living in Afghanistan allow for "The Kite Runner" during the Russian invasion and give an accurate and educational depiction of the political turmoil that Afghanistan became encased in.
Compared to "The Bookseller of Kabul," which is set in Afghanistan during its time of rebuilding and attempt at progress and development, "The Kite Runner" begins in the more or less peaceful early '70s. It follows the lives of two motherless friends: Amir, who is the son of a wealthy businessman, and their servant's son, Hassan.
These two boys grow up practically like brothers, but one incident changes everything. This staggering event both binds Amir and Hassan forever, at the same time tearing them from each other. The story continues as violence heightens in the wake of the country's revolution and communist invasion. During this time the Taliban is also increasing its power and role within the nation.
At the time of Russia's invasion, Amir's father is no longer a wealthy man and they flee to America where Amir grows up amid other Afghan-Americans. Hassan does not join them. As Amir matures and his life goes on, he does not forget his past. After the death of his father, he embarks on a new journey to old places.
All of these works in their own ways can provide readers a deeper understanding of Islamic culture. All three authors bring with them a wealth of experience and information that is key in understanding what it is these people are striving and fighting for. The plights of not only the women, like those in "Reading Lolita in Tehran," but the poor and general populations of these nations, as well as business owners like Sultan. The accounts of the nations represented in these books will hopefully give readers a greater appreciation of the freedoms our nation promises us and that we may take for granted.
Meghan Dunlap is a junior majoring in Spanish and elementary education. If you agree that the aforementioned books are excellent reads or just have an idea for a future column, please e-mail her at [email protected].
