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Under Five Flags: Life Like a Turbulent River Flows
Book by Afsheen, S
288 pages, Paperback
First published July 21, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 18, 2025
I know at least one person in this story and may have a bias. Some of it was pure chronology and some of it came alive with very personal experiences.
October 1, 2014
Extract from a review by Jacob J Ross, a Fellow of the Royal School of Literature.
I admired the ambition and scope of your work. This book has clearly been an enormous undertaking, covering as it does much of the seminal events that shaped the twentieth century as well as the origins of the State of Iran (from 1835 onwards) and the emergence of this country as a major focus in the global, geopolitical and ideological debates of the present century. Additionally, you seek to trace the progress of an immigrant family of Iranians from ancient times..., through many generations, against the larger historical backdrop of the societies and cultures in which they lived. On top of all this, you have layered your own personal history.
I believe that, overall, you have succeeded in writing a book that is oftentimes insightful, at times funny and, for me, quite elucidating.
I liked in particular your portrayal of the birth pangs of modern Iran. Here, you achieve what all good narratives accomplish: you leave your reader with a sense of having lived (in this case through your and Shekufeh’s eyes) through the precariousness and oppressive nature of Iranian society of that time...
Also, your exploration of the political dynamics that led to the partition of India and Pakistan certainly gave me a better understanding, not only of the ‘creation’ of Pakistan but the religious and ideological ideas that underpinned its formation.
Conclusion
The book ends as it should, with a sense of closure and arrival. It succeeds in presenting us with the rich and varied life not only of yourself but also of Shekufeh and your immediate and extended family. It does what good books do; it taught me, your reader, new things. ...
It is the kind of book that people will buy and keep because it offers so much.
Jacob J Ross (FRSL)
I admired the ambition and scope of your work. This book has clearly been an enormous undertaking, covering as it does much of the seminal events that shaped the twentieth century as well as the origins of the State of Iran (from 1835 onwards) and the emergence of this country as a major focus in the global, geopolitical and ideological debates of the present century. Additionally, you seek to trace the progress of an immigrant family of Iranians from ancient times..., through many generations, against the larger historical backdrop of the societies and cultures in which they lived. On top of all this, you have layered your own personal history.
I believe that, overall, you have succeeded in writing a book that is oftentimes insightful, at times funny and, for me, quite elucidating.
I liked in particular your portrayal of the birth pangs of modern Iran. Here, you achieve what all good narratives accomplish: you leave your reader with a sense of having lived (in this case through your and Shekufeh’s eyes) through the precariousness and oppressive nature of Iranian society of that time...
Also, your exploration of the political dynamics that led to the partition of India and Pakistan certainly gave me a better understanding, not only of the ‘creation’ of Pakistan but the religious and ideological ideas that underpinned its formation.
Conclusion
The book ends as it should, with a sense of closure and arrival. It succeeds in presenting us with the rich and varied life not only of yourself but also of Shekufeh and your immediate and extended family. It does what good books do; it taught me, your reader, new things. ...
It is the kind of book that people will buy and keep because it offers so much.
Jacob J Ross (FRSL)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews