<![CDATA[The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran]]>

false <![CDATA[The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran]]>

3488337

Hooman Majd, the son of an Iranian diplomat and the grandson of an ayatollah, grew up in exile, yet he also remained closely attached to his homeland. In THE AYATOLLAH BEGS TO DIFFER, Majd travels throughout Iran to present an eye-opening account of the economic, political, and social forces that lie at its heart -- and to show the paradoxes of the Iranian character that have baffled Americans for thirty years. Majd looks at Iran as a Muslim country, as a Shiite country and, significantly, as a Persian country. As Shiites marked by an inferiority complex, Iranians are devoted to protecting their rights, a factor Majd suggests has stymied their nuclear negotiations. He also shows the importance of the Persian view of privacy, arguing that the stability of the current regime owes much to the freedom Iranians have to behave as they wish behind "Persian walls." And with great wit, Majd describes the Persian concept of ta'arouf, an exaggerated form of polite self-deprecation that may explain some of Iranian President Ahmadinejad's more bizarre public moments. Sharing the real faces and voices of Iran, from government officials to cab drivers to upper-class socialites, Majd brings to life a country far different from the one pictured in most American media. A detailed look at the realities of life in Iran and what it means to be Iranian from a unique perspective - one that is very American and also Persian. Illuminating for anyone trying to understand what it means to be Iranian in the current global atmosphere. The writing style is easy to read with many humorous anecdotes.

3529761

2008

The Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran

total:205|5:32|4:82|3:74|2:14|1:3|

205

741

600

3 1 false false Fri Oct 17 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 10 05:23:16 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 17 07:45:29 -0700 2008
First, he ta...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Mar 12 22:28:27 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 12 22:39:27 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Nov 09 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 09 11:49:18 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 09 12:01:49 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 2 false false Wed Jan 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 13:12:09 -0800 2009 Wed Jan 28 05:57:35 -0800 2009
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 sty...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Apr 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 30 17:59:35 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 02 18:35:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Thu Nov 06 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Oct 15 21:52:02 -0700 2008 Thu Nov 06 21:04:58 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Dec 09 16:27:55 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 09 16:33:15 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jul 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 05:18:49 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 06 12:02:10 -0700 2009 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 on...

more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jan 12 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Dec 31 13:26:45 -0800 2008 Mon Jan 12 19:45:51 -0800 2009 "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 ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Dec 08 21:35:06 -0800 2008 Sun Dec 21 18:29:10 -0800 2008 more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri Oct 17 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 17 08:22:42 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 17 08:25:40 -0700 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Dec 29 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 00:14:22 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 30 01:52:42 -0800 2008
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 a...more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Feb 18 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 29 17:49:40 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 10:46:20 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Dec 03 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 06 06:28:53 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 03 11:00:13 -0800 2008
He traveled through Iran and across the US with var...more...]]> 1 0 false false Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Feb 06 08:16:57 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 06 08:56:29 -0800 2009 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...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Jul 18 12:11:55 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 14 04:19:28 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 12:11:55 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Aug 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 08:08:43 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 13:06:30 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Mar 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 09 21:11:31 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 09 21:18:12 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Sun Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Mar 14 18:17:13 -0700 2009 Fri Nov 06 19:50:06 -0800 2009
And then there was the writing. Try this run-on from page 52...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Mar 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Nov 23 17:50:29 -0800 2008 Sat Mar 14 15:05:49 -0700 2009 more...]]>