A revealing look at Iran by an American journalist with an insider’s access behind Persian walls
The grandson of an eminent a... read full description
reviews
Oct 17, 2008
Aeisele
rated it: 
I liked this book, if more for the three major points he made about Iranians than the writing or the form. In fact, the form was a bit annoying. He moved back and forth between his journalistic narrative of his own visits, and history of modern Iran. But to the major points.
First, he talk about an interesting idea, that of "ta'arouf," or hospitality. This is a rough translation, because its more like polite chit-chat that one encounters with every transaction with another More...
First, he talk about an interesting idea, that of "ta'arouf," or hospitality. This is a rough translation, because its more like polite chit-chat that one encounters with every transaction with another More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Mar 12, 2009
Jen
rated it: 
Hooman Majd says that when he travels to Iran his Persian side emerges, but when he comes back home to New York City, his fully Westernized modern man comes back. This perspective is unique and helpful as Majd attempts to explain that when the revolutionaries yelled, "Death to America" that they didn't literally want us in the U.S. all to die.
I had the serendipity of reading this book in tandem with Deer Hunting With Jesus by Joe Bageant, and the comparison between fundamentali More...
I had the serendipity of reading this book in tandem with Deer Hunting With Jesus by Joe Bageant, and the comparison between fundamentali More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 09, 2009
Matthew
rated it:
I found this book to be enlightening on issues of national and local politics. It is the type of book that imbues the reader with a false sense of newly attained cultural awareness. That is of course a compliment in that after finishing, one feels they are in fact better informed than when they started. However, it is a detraction as well. The author covers so many little vignettes in memoir format that it is easy to forget that he really only covers two or three main ideas, thus leading an
More...
Apr 03, 2010
Becky
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book. It's written by an Iranian who grew up and lives in the West, but who retains personal and familial ties with high-level officials in the Islamic Republic. Might have been titled, "What are those guys under the turbans really like?"
Interesting reading for anybody who wants to learn about the people behind the sound bites. I've found that if you read one book about Iran, say, "Reading Lolita in Tehran," you might think you know something More...
Interesting reading for anybody who wants to learn about the people behind the sound bites. I've found that if you read one book about Iran, say, "Reading Lolita in Tehran," you might think you know something More...
Jan 28, 2009
James
rated it:
This is my third book on Iranian culture in the past year or so, and I'm fascinated. Tehran is on my list of places to visit.
Before I rip apart this book, let me first say I recommend it because it is an interesting, thoughtful analysis of the Iranian psyche.
Majd writing style is maddeningly frustrating. I almost threw the book against the wall a half-dozen times during the first 100 pages. The man cannot write a simple sentence. An entire paragraph in this book may have More...
Before I rip apart this book, let me first say I recommend it because it is an interesting, thoughtful analysis of the Iranian psyche.
Majd writing style is maddeningly frustrating. I almost threw the book against the wall a half-dozen times during the first 100 pages. The man cannot write a simple sentence. An entire paragraph in this book may have More...
Apr 02, 2009
S
rated it:
So I am on this Iran kick right now and this was written in the past year and I had heard the author being interviewed on NPR and he sounded pretty moderate, pro-Iranian and very educated and so I put a hold on this book at our local library and I guess it was pretty popular, because I had to wait several months for it.
Unlike all the other books that I have read about Iran, this one was not a sweet story about growing up in Iran, spending most of one's years abroad and then returning More...
Unlike all the other books that I have read about Iran, this one was not a sweet story about growing up in Iran, spending most of one's years abroad and then returning More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Nov 04, 2010
Mohd Nazmi
rated it:
THE Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran melihat Iran lewat pandangan sekular pengarangnya tetapi menguak pintu dunia real negara Parsi itu, selain daripada apa yang kita ketahui tentang Iran hari ini.
Iran tidak hanya tentang Ahmadinejad, hijab dan senjata nuklear kerana Hooman Majd membawa kita untuk menyelongkar Iran melalui pertemuannya daripada tokoh sebesar mantan Presiden Khatami hinggalah kepada pemandu teksi wanita.
Di kaki lima dan rumah bertembok besa More...
Iran tidak hanya tentang Ahmadinejad, hijab dan senjata nuklear kerana Hooman Majd membawa kita untuk menyelongkar Iran melalui pertemuannya daripada tokoh sebesar mantan Presiden Khatami hinggalah kepada pemandu teksi wanita.
Di kaki lima dan rumah bertembok besa More...
May 28, 2010
Khaya
rated it: 
As a resident of a country under the threat of nuclear attack by Iran, I can’t help but be curious about Iran and its mentality. I was hoping this book would improve my understanding of Iran – the culture, the psyche, the day-to-day life, what have you. While I did receive little snippets of each of these things here and there in the book, they failed to add up to a cohesive whole.
When I first began this book, I was put off by what I thought were Hooman’s apologetics. I began c More...
When I first began this book, I was put off by what I thought were Hooman’s apologetics. I began c More...
Nov 06, 2008
hello marilou
rated it: 
Very interesting approach to Iran's politics, religion and culture. Explains Iran's similarities and differences from the Western culture and Iranian's affinity for Islam. It dispels many notions Americans have associated with the "Axis of Evil" and describes a modern, proud, more democratic country. Majd's experiences as a Iranian-American are narrated in the book in a way that helps us understand the complexity of a great country.
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Dec 09, 2008
Eno
rated it:
I thoroughly enjoyed this look into modern Iran, and it jived well with what little I know of the place. While many actors in the west wish to put Iran in a box (Axis of Evil, indeed), there is far more to Iran than the other members of this new Axis. It is a far more stable state than countries that the US counts as allies, that much should be obvious to anyone that can look past a blustery statement or two by the current president. While Majd glorifies former president Khatami to some extent (
More...
Feb 03, 2011
Matthew
rated it:
Written in a deceptively simply manner, this is a very nuanced sketch of Iran and its political culture. Majd is a witty writer who knows how to pace the narrative and dig into subjects without going into tendentious, pedantic history. The book reads like a winding journey through backalley restaurants, into people's homes, politicians (and ex politicians') offices, the public stage, with no detectable organisational structure, at least not one I can detect.
My overriding impression More...
My overriding impression More...
Jul 06, 2009
Sophia
rated it:
Iran for many Americans, myself included, is a black box with occasional outputs such as: "hostage crisis," "nuclear power," "Axis of Evil," and the "2009 elections." The Ayatollah Begs to Differ offers an illuminating glimpse into the inner workings of the only Shia theocracy in the world. Hooman Majd, the grandson of an Ayotollah and the son of an Iranian diplomant, is uniquely qualified to hold the torchlight as "100% Iranian and 100% American."
More...
Jan 12, 2009
Margot
rated it:
Excerpts:
"I thought of Fuad, my Jewish-Iranian friend from Los Angeles who had explained to me his perspective on Ahmadinejad's Holocaust denial with no small measure of admiration for what he saw as the finest example of Persian ta'arouf one-upmanship. Ahmadinejad, Fuad reasoned, had in effect said to the Europeans...that he couldn't believe that Europeans had been or could be such monsters (and this at a time when Iran was being portrayed as monstrous). "You're not monsters," More...
"I thought of Fuad, my Jewish-Iranian friend from Los Angeles who had explained to me his perspective on Ahmadinejad's Holocaust denial with no small measure of admiration for what he saw as the finest example of Persian ta'arouf one-upmanship. Ahmadinejad, Fuad reasoned, had in effect said to the Europeans...that he couldn't believe that Europeans had been or could be such monsters (and this at a time when Iran was being portrayed as monstrous). "You're not monsters," More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Dec 21, 2008
Daryoush
rated it:
This is going to be a hard one to review. It has some interesting nuggets that you have to pull from an assortment of stories that don't really make a coherent whole. It also does not carry the political significance or ramifications that some suggested I would take away from it. Indeed, he even gets some of the facts wrong, going with the Iranian myth while elsewhere warning the reader of and eschewing others. Stylistically, there are dependent clauses and internal asides to spare. Neverth
More...
Nov 16, 2011
Ryan
rated it:
Majd, an Iranian-born, American-raised journalist who returned the country of his birth several times during the last decade, is intent on providing a tour of modern Iran that cautions against any simplistic understanding of a multi-layered country and its people. Though the demonstrations of 2009 showed obvious discontent with the Islamic regime, that, according to Majd, shouldn’t be read as a sign of impending rebellion. Many Iranians, particularly the working class, are proud of their nation’
More...
Oct 17, 2008
Golzar
rated it:
Reading it now, but so far it seems like a great way to show the world what Iranians are really like. Such diversity, culture, history, and beautiful and fun people can not be defined by the word "terrorist" nor the phrase "axis of evil". Maybe if people care to read this book there won't be a "war" with Iran.
So far, I love it.
So far, I love it.
3 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Mar 29, 2011
Simon
rated it: 
This book is of some interest but there is nothing ground-breaking or unique about this book. Furthermore, if you are a regular news watcher and reader, then a considerable proportion of the book has already been covered. On a general note and this is not a specific criticism of this author, it would be interesting to read a book about the Islamic Republic of Iran from a patriotic Iranian who lives in Iran and supports the system and gives the view of the conservative elements. Many (but not all
More...
Dec 30, 2008
Shae
rated it:
Excitedly, Majd wants to tell us about Iranian society and politics. Unfortunately, he is not a concise writer. Each paragraph is a chore.
Nevertheless, I learned quite a bit, in between cursing his prose.
In describing the locals, in sandals or suits, Majd has the air of an affluent couture-wearing Westerner. The details are culturally noteworthy, but the commentary is culturally ignorant.
But, I am neglecting the fact that regardless of the (inapplicable) titl More...
Nevertheless, I learned quite a bit, in between cursing his prose.
In describing the locals, in sandals or suits, Majd has the air of an affluent couture-wearing Westerner. The details are culturally noteworthy, but the commentary is culturally ignorant.
But, I am neglecting the fact that regardless of the (inapplicable) titl More...
Dec 03, 2008
Joel
rated it:
Hooman Majd, born in Tehran but educated in the West has written a book that is simultaneously from an insider perspective as well as from an outsider perspective. His father was an Iranian diplomat, but Hooman Majd is now a US citizen.
He traveled through Iran and across the US with various Iranian political figures and met with the likes of current Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as well as former presidents like Mohammad Khatami. Because of Majd's family's history (his grand More...
He traveled through Iran and across the US with various Iranian political figures and met with the likes of current Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as well as former presidents like Mohammad Khatami. Because of Majd's family's history (his grand More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 06, 2009
j.marvin
rated it:
Majd has an interesting story and important things to say about Iran.
Wonderful things actually--insights in the truest sense--and he almost develops a theme about the contradictions inherent in nearly every aspect of the society.
that said.
Doubleday shows its true colors here in its unwillingness to edit this book properly. Nearly every page has one poorly constructed paragraph. I'm talking poor here, like, so poor I'm insulted and wanna leave.
Anyway, itsa shame, Majd see More...
Wonderful things actually--insights in the truest sense--and he almost develops a theme about the contradictions inherent in nearly every aspect of the society.
that said.
Doubleday shows its true colors here in its unwillingness to edit this book properly. Nearly every page has one poorly constructed paragraph. I'm talking poor here, like, so poor I'm insulted and wanna leave.
Anyway, itsa shame, Majd see More...
Mar 15, 2010
from Jason Pettus's great review: the recent and fantastic The Ayatollah Begs to Differ by Hooman Majd is actually several things at once -- not just a primer on historical issues regarding the old Persian Empire, but a field guide to the modern Iran it became, an on-the-ground report about daily life inside a working theocracy, even a funny Bill-Bryson-style travelogue about a clueless Westerner smoking opium with random strangers, participating in a self-flagellation festival, and going skiing
More...
Jul 18, 2009
Madhulika
rated it:
I have read quite a bit of non-fiction on/from Iran, and even a couple of fiction books translated. Have had continued interest for years, and it is my number one place to visit. This book is close to an insider walk through the corridors of Iran's current power centers. The writer refers to many Ayatollahs & politicians so in the news today. It really adds to an understanding of a complicated situation observed from the outside(which is to say that we don't know much), to read the writer's pe
More...
Aug 16, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
I want to give this five stars, if only because it gave me a rudimentary understanding of Shia Islam and post-revolutionary Iran. But his style, oh, his style. This man loves his tangents. I was only able to finish when I decided to skip anything in parentheses -- and believe me, there's a gazillion parenthetical asides which are intended to be illustrative, but are really distracting. Another GoodReads reviewer, James Wood, wrote an excellent parody. I can't figure out how to link to it, though
More...
Mar 09, 2009
Stephen
rated it:
An insightful trip into the society of Iran from the viewpoint of an outsider/insider. Mr. Majd's interactions with everyday people, the political caste and the moneyed elite give what I thought was a balanced view of a place that is so remote to Americans. Mostly by design. I began this book with no solid impressions of what Iran and Iranians are. I ended it fascinated and informed. It also sheds light onto the many sects of Islam and the way they have interacted throughout the history of
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Jan 24, 2011
Halik
rated it:
This book is a 'journey through modern Iran' as its author puts it. Majd goes to great lengths to bring us various perspectives of Iranian life, its political environment and history. But the author essentially is a non-typical Iranian. he was living abroad for most of his life, studied in Western countries and his religious sentiments are not very ardent.
Im not judging him on personal merit, all i am saying is that he is completely different to the average Iranian on the streets. And More...
Im not judging him on personal merit, all i am saying is that he is completely different to the average Iranian on the streets. And More...
May 15, 2010
Beth
rated it:
I admit I first got interested in this book when I saw that Michael Franti was reading it. Not because I usually care what a musician I like is reading, but because he mentioned it in his Facebook feed (really!), and the title was intriguing. I'd read only a little about Iran, and this seemed like a good way to expand my horizons. Majd is an engaging writer, and his personal connections to Iran, especially ayatollahs and others in power, make his stories that much more interesting, not to mentio
More...
Jun 29, 2010
Nathan
rated it:
Oh boy. This book was a lot of work. It was worth it, but took some determination to stick through the long and meandering sentences. Rather than a concise discussion of policies etc., this was a mix of travelogue (not all related to the subject) and random monologue. I personally think the writing style complimented the author's explanation of "ta'arouf," or polite, indirect chit-chat that's part of every conversation. Sometimes ta'arouf can be very calculating in its indirectness
More...
Mar 09, 2010
Jason
rated it:
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com:]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
Like millions of other Americans, I am in the active process these days of increasing my knowledge base regarding the Middle East and Southeast Asia, from its former level of "zero" to a new level of "more than zero." But this of course immediately presents a problem to arm More...
Like millions of other Americans, I am in the active process these days of increasing my knowledge base regarding the Middle East and Southeast Asia, from its former level of "zero" to a new level of "more than zero." But this of course immediately presents a problem to arm More...
0 comments
like
(4 people liked it)
Jan 26, 2012
Dinah
rated it:
This book could be read as a primer on Persian character and Persian societal contradictions.
The author is an American citizen and journalist but in addition, son of an Iranian diplomat, the grandson of an eminent ayatollah. Raised in the west, resident in New York City, fluent in Persian and maintaining familial ties with some of the Iran's power elite he is "both/and", and is perhaps uniquely able to translate Iran for us.
There are three or four Persian concep More...
The author is an American citizen and journalist but in addition, son of an Iranian diplomat, the grandson of an eminent ayatollah. Raised in the west, resident in New York City, fluent in Persian and maintaining familial ties with some of the Iran's power elite he is "both/and", and is perhaps uniquely able to translate Iran for us.
There are three or four Persian concep More...
Dec 06, 2009
Janet
rated it:
Ta'arouf and haq. If for no other reason (and there are a lot of other reasons,) Americans like me, should read this book (it's good) to learn the depth of these two thought systems in Persian culture. Ta'arouf is the practice of extreme self-deprecation in very polite society, as in an exchange that might sound like this: "Please, you first." "No, after you, I am not deserving as you,..""No, you are great, I am a dog..." It's used to advantage in politics and busin
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
