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What Members Thought
I picked up this book with the intention of discussing it in the local library book club. And I'm glad I did because it was very enjoyable, and I imagine if i had made it to the meeting, it would've been a great discussion, especially if you read Nabokov, Fitzgerald, Miller, and Austen.
The main theme was freedom (political, cultural) and trying to carve out little pockets of it wherever possible. Exhibiting small acts of rebellion and the hope and consequences they bring.
It made me want to rer ...more
The main theme was freedom (political, cultural) and trying to carve out little pockets of it wherever possible. Exhibiting small acts of rebellion and the hope and consequences they bring.
It made me want to rer ...more
Educational! Way more interesting than I expected.
[2005 review.] I really didn't think I'd like this (I've been burned by enough #1 bestseller!!s in the past), but I ended up whipping through it. It helped that I'd read a lot of the books she was discussing, and adore Lolita and Gatsby, so the more critical bits were interesting, and all the details about daily Iranian life balanced it really well. I learned a lot about the country's history and policies, which, hey, education. But it was also p ...more
[2005 review.] I really didn't think I'd like this (I've been burned by enough #1 bestseller!!s in the past), but I ended up whipping through it. It helped that I'd read a lot of the books she was discussing, and adore Lolita and Gatsby, so the more critical bits were interesting, and all the details about daily Iranian life balanced it really well. I learned a lot about the country's history and policies, which, hey, education. But it was also p ...more
A few points about this book as the "DC Reads" choice this year. On the one hand this book ticks off the major buttons for city-wide reading program : it discuss why literacy, reading, education are a cherished and necessary part of a free healthy society. I enjoyed hearing from a prescriptive that doesn't have often have a voice. However, this book doesn't exactly hook the everyday reader (the general public is the audience for DC Readers) into exploring those themes. It is overly academic and
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Some punk in Managua better be enjoying this book right now. Though probably just as toilette paper. I hope he gets a paper cut for stealing it from our rental car. I had just 60 pages left!! Now where am I going to find another copy in Nicaragua?
I could only make it past the first chapter before I got bored. It felt flat and not very insightful even though it makes itself out to be.
May 06, 2010
Abby
marked it as to-read
Aug 12, 2010
Kelli
marked it as to-read
May 12, 2011
Jess
added it
Sep 07, 2012
Claire
marked it as to-read
Oct 09, 2012
Megan Reichelt
marked it as to-read
Mar 12, 2020
Lilly
added it
