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October 06
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Parastou
gave
 
to:
Brother, I'm Dying (Hardcover)
by Edwidge Danticat
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my rating:
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Parastou said:
"very personal story, beautifully told. don't want to spoil the end, though its painful to read, shocking and a total indictment of ICE and our detention policies (there, I probably spoiled it anyway).
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Parastou
gave
to:
When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa (Hardcover)
by Peter Godwin
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Parastou said:
"Enjoyed reading this. Can't really give a full review without spoiling the "surprise" element of the book, which is central to the book's message, so I'll hold back.
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September 02
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Parastou
gave
to:
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man (Paperback)
by John Perkins
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my rating:
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read in August, 2008
Parastou said:
"For me, this is a difficult one to write about. I found the information in it at times illuminating, and mostly infuriating. Its the sort of book I wish every complacent American who wonders why the world "hates" us would read. On the ot...more
For me, this is a difficult one to write about. I found the information in it at times illuminating, and mostly infuriating. Its the sort of book I wish every complacent American who wonders why the world "hates" us would read. On the other hand, the author/narrator is really arrogant. You wonder why he stayed in the business for so damn long if he had so many qualms about it. I found his constant refernce to and glorification of the Founding Fathers annoying. And its not very well-written. But despite all that, believe it or not, very much worth reading....less
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August 11
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Parastou
gave
to:
Knots (Hardcover)
by Nuruddin Farah
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Parastou said:
"I feel odd giving 2 stars to a writer as acclaimed as Nuruddin Farah. Its the first book of his I've ever read and I'm assuming his other works are better. I was quite disappointed in this book, which is about a Somali-Canadian woman who returns to...more
I feel odd giving 2 stars to a writer as acclaimed as Nuruddin Farah. Its the first book of his I've ever read and I'm assuming his other works are better. I was quite disappointed in this book, which is about a Somali-Canadian woman who returns to Mogadishu to reclaim her family property from a warlord. Maybe I'm missing something, but the book just didn't impress me or have the sort of depth I was hoping for. Has anyone else read it? What did you think? Can anyone recommend another book by him they really liked?...less
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July 24
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Parastou
gave
to:
Digging to America (Hardcover)
by Anne Tyler
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my rating:
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read in July, 2008
Parastou said:
"Its a story about two families who come to know each other over the years because they have both adopted Korean babies. The reason I picked up this book I might not have otherwise read is that a family friend read it and told me it features Iranian-...more
Its a story about two families who come to know each other over the years because they have both adopted Korean babies. The reason I picked up this book I might not have otherwise read is that a family friend read it and told me it features Iranian-Americans! I'm always intrigued by the depiction of Iranian-Americans in "mainstream" American literature (a la "The House of Sand and Fog; not literature by Iranian-American authors) and so I read it. As it turns out,the author's late husband was an Iranian physician, which presumably gives her the vantage point to make some observations on Iranians in America. Some are spot on, others... eh? To me, the most interesting part was the very idea that an Iranian couple that couldn't conceive adopted from Korea (though true to Iranian racist form, there's a comment from a Los Angeles relative who talks about plastic surgeons who fix Asian eyes). Anyway, not a "must read," but enjoyable enough. Sorry for the long review!...less
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July 07
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Parastou
gave
to:
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (Paperback)
by Barack Obama
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Parastou said:
"I debated whether to give the book 2 stars or 3. Ended up with 2, since though I did enjoy the book, it definitely could have been shorter. I certainly don't think reading the book gives us a huge amount of insight into the sort of president he'd b...more
I debated whether to give the book 2 stars or 3. Ended up with 2, since though I did enjoy the book, it definitely could have been shorter. I certainly don't think reading the book gives us a huge amount of insight into the sort of president he'd be. Its mainly a book about someone coming to grips with his identity. Its length reflects the self-indulgence of many peope who write memoirs and think we care about every little thing in their life. But as I said before, its an OK read, and well-written given that he's not a professional author....less
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June 26
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Parastou
gave
to:
The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears (Hardcover)
by Dinaw Mengestu
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Parastou said:
"I really enjoyed this and liked the different layers of the story, though its very sad and very different from some of the other "immigrant literature" I've read lately.
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April 16
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Parastou
gave
to:
Incendiary Circumstances: A Chronicle of the Turmoil of our Times (Paperback)
by Amitav Ghosh
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my rating:
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read in April, 2008
Parastou said:
"The book's a collection of essays written over a nearly 20-year span (mid 80's to 2005). Some are just a few pages long, some are about 30 pages or more. The topics are diverse - a visit to a Tsunami-stricken island, a visit to Burma, Cambodia, the ...more
The book's a collection of essays written over a nearly 20-year span (mid 80's to 2005). Some are just a few pages long, some are about 30 pages or more. The topics are diverse - a visit to a Tsunami-stricken island, a visit to Burma, Cambodia, the riots in New Delhi after the assassination of Indira Ghandi, reaction to the death of a neighbor in the Sept 11 attacks... I really like Ghosh when he's doing non-fiction. He has a nice way of making observations. But there's nothing too earth shattering in what he says. But still, I enjoyed this collection of essays....less
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April 04
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Parastou
gave
to:
In the Footsteps of Mr. Kurtz: Living on the Brink of Disaster in Mobutu's Congo (Paperback)
by Michela Wrong
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in April, 2008
Parastou said:
"Though I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed her book about Eritrea, I think its in large part because the book on Eritrea is so relevant to my current work. Nevertheless, this is a good book for people who are just trying to dip their feet ...more
Though I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed her book about Eritrea, I think its in large part because the book on Eritrea is so relevant to my current work. Nevertheless, this is a good book for people who are just trying to dip their feet into the modern history of the DRC. Its a journalistic account, so its not going to be super nuanced or in-depth, but it was still very informative. Michela Wrong does a really good job in making connections between the legacy of colonialsm and the mess (cronyism/corruption) that exists in the country today....less
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March 20
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Parastou
gave
to:
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Hardcover)
by Junot Díaz
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in March, 2008
Parastou said:
"Ever since reading his short story collection, Drown, I was eager to read whatever would come next from Junot Diaz. 10 years is a long time to wait, but the book is thoroughly enjoyable. Its an immigrant family saga, but much more, told with humor ...more
Ever since reading his short story collection, Drown, I was eager to read whatever would come next from Junot Diaz. 10 years is a long time to wait, but the book is thoroughly enjoyable. Its an immigrant family saga, but much more, told with humor and poignancy and I love the little footnotes interspersed throughout the text that inform us about the history of the Dominican Republic. ...less
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