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The Bathhouse
During the fundamentalist revolution in Iran, a 17-year-old girl is arrested by the Revolutionary Guards. She is not political, but her brother and sister-n-law are, so she is suspect too. She is confined in a former bathhouse with several other women ranging in age from adolescence to elderly, whose mental states vary from the stoic and care-giving to the insane. Based on...more
Hardcover
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by Black Heron Press
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The quiet endurance of the girl as she suffers the indignities of captivity is unsettling to read about. One wishes she would react at some point, either by reason or by insanity, as some of her fellow prisoners did.
Although she does construct meaning out of her ordeal - as the first person narrator she is 'writing' an account that is considerably more substantial than her superficial adolescent journals which are taken away from her upon her arrest - it is uncertain whether she matures e...more
Although she does construct meaning out of her ordeal - as the first person narrator she is 'writing' an account that is considerably more substantial than her superficial adolescent journals which are taken away from her upon her arrest - it is uncertain whether she matures e...more
I still remember the characters after few months I finished the book. It makes me think how human nature is. What people can do to survive under torture. What a human can do to another. It reminds me of the book "the doll house" and the Nazi Camps during WWII. It is sad to think nothing changed. It has changed only the reason: now religion over then purity of a race. And the worse is: the people outside know and at the same time they pretend not to know about the bathhouse. Like then f...more
Amblingbooks.com
marked it as to-read
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review of another edition
Shelves:
available-on-audio,
young-adult
"[T]he starkly simple tale she tells is convincing in tone and substance....the narrator is a vivid character, an ordinary student with a stubborn, rebellious streak that enables her to endure the horrors of prison. Moshiri's impressive novel works at two levels, telling a compelling story while bearing witness to a brutal period in Iranian history." - Publishers Weekly
Listen to The Bathhouse on your smartphone.
Listen to The Bathhouse on your smartphone.
A shocking story of the treatment of Iranian people under Khomeini. It is sad to think how cruel we can be to our fellow human beings, once we've decided they are 'other' - other race, other religion, other political persuasion.
An admirably brave book, which, if it only makes some people realise what went on under Khomeini, and to consider if it could happen in our own country, is a great contribution to the world.
An admirably brave book, which, if it only makes some people realise what went on under Khomeini, and to consider if it could happen in our own country, is a great contribution to the world.
Reading this book is like reading a horror novel - only this is based on true events. I found the language riveting, and liked the objectivity of the first person narrator. The only difficulty I see readers having is the lack of historical context - the reader is literally thrown into the novel without explanation. I recommend reading Persepolis first in order to gain context, then moving onto this haunting work.
I found this story very disturbing. It is well written in simple language. An ideology derived from religion and mix in with politics is a recipe for disaster. Especially in this part of the world. At the end the reader will have a lasting memory of the narrator's horendous experienced in captivity. A book worth reading.
Listened to this one on audio. Chilling and haunting and horrifying at points to hear the way these women are treated. Very eye-opening view of something we hear so little about in the mainstream. Captivating and humbling. You feel deeply for these women and remember to be thankful for your own freedoms.
I'm not sure how to describe this book but to say it gives a frighteningly real view of some of the atrocities happening in our world today. Seen through the eyes of one woman, it feels real, confusing, scary, appalling, shocking and bitter sweet all at once.
This book was a nice, quick read in between books that made me think. It's a story about prisoners in a makeshift jail in Iran during a time of political turmoil, and these prisoners are treated very poorly in hopes of getting them to reveal information their captors want. The author talked to several people about their experiences, and then wove together a story about this bathhouse. I think that if the woman was writing from her own perspective, she might have captured a certain "je ne...more
Not a fun read, but a grim and sobering work of fiction. Told in a matter of fact tone as by a young person introduced to a shocking reality of imprisonment, torture and execution, it feels very real.
Rosabay
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
anyone who is capable on reading about torture.
Recommended to Rosabay by:
The Book Club
I never read a book with such violence. I couldnt stop reading it because I just really was wishing the ending was a good one. Which it just lead me to keep thinking about the book. A good book always leaves you thinking.
I really enjoyed this book. It was elegant in its simplicity. The protagonist's horrific experience of torture and wrongful imprisonment is scary and reminds me how thin the cloak of civilized behavior really is. We really can be barbaric to each other at times. But always there are the threads of decency, of courage and love.
I ripped through this. I... This is the trouble with books like this. I don't know what to say, except that it will break your heart.
An incredible book. A must read.
Vivid, disturbing, beautiful.
very different book, reminded me of the Holocaust.
This is a very quick read - I read it in one sitting. The book is a first person account of prison life in Iran as told by a 17 year old school girl who is arrested because her brother is a political activist. The story takes place in an old bathhouse that is converted to a prison by the Islamic Republic. Her story to survive and try to maintain her dignity is a fascinating yet disturbing tale.
The incidents in The Bathhouse are based on interviews with victims of Khomeini's repr...more
The incidents in The Bathhouse are based on interviews with victims of Khomeini's repr...more
woaa...what a harrowing story!
I loved this book! Story is dark, but captures you from the start. And I have a signed copy by the author!!! Now, I must read her favorite one, "At the wall of Almighty"...
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Chilling. Wonderful to read in conjunction with Reading Lolita in Tehran A Memoir in Books and Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis books.
This audiobook was sometimes difficult to listen to because of the subject matter. It was a very moving story of a young woman trying to survive after being put in prison for her brother's political activism. I can't really say I enjoyed it because of the subject, but it was very insightful.
karen
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Those interested in Middle Eastern culture
This was a quick read, in part because the language was so simple, but also because it's hard to put it down! The story of the narrator is sad and compelling, and she is a sympathetic character that any woman can identify with to some extent. Overall, an interesting and sad read!
a terrifyingly real account of life in a post revolutionary prison (a converted bathhouse) in Iran; especially for young women - who were routinely raped on the eve of their execution since killing a virgin is a sin. creepy and riveting.
This is a powerful novel that poignantly describes the horrors of the Iranian regime that we hear so much about. Evil continues to thrive!
Wow - a stunning look at a completely different world. The main character is a heroine.
This book will stay with you for some time.
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