Yep, I have a sinus infection. My face hurts, my jaw hurts, my ears hurt, even my teeth hurt. Enough whining.
I finished this book last night before the drugs kicked in. It was a long read. For me it wasn't a "can't put it down book." It was an intense and difficult read. I'd read a couple of chapters, then read another book, come back to this and so on. It's taken me about two months to read it. Maybe longer. Was it worth it? I don't know. I don't think I'd read it again. But I also don't want to say don't read it. I'd rather say read it and decide for yourself.
The author, Azar Nafisi taught at the University of Tehran. She was dismissed for refusing to wear the veil. After her dismissal she invites 7 of her students into her home to study western literature, most were books that were banned. They're more than a bookclub, and the book is about more than whatbthey were reading. It's about the affect of the revolution, the Iran vs Iraq war, life under Ayatollah Khomeini on educated women in Iran.
I prefered Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez.
The author was part of a humanitarian, non-government aid mision to Afghanistan. The visit changed her life and she returned to start a Beauty School. To teach women, to give them a way to support their families. The book details the financial struggles, cultural misunderstandings, government road blocks, political manuevering, a glimpse into the lives of her students and her marriage to an Afghan man. This, I would read again.