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Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2003

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Azar Nafisi

Reading Lolita in Tehran

Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2003
Book Details
Pages

400

Format

Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction

Setting

Tehran, Iran • 1990s

Publication Year

2003

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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Super Short Summary

Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi, is a memoir recounting her experiences teaching English literature in Iran post-1979 revolution until her exile in 1997. Nafisi secretly formed a book club with her female students to freely discuss works by authors such as Nabokov, Fitzgerald, James, and Austen, using literature to explore political, cultural, and social issues of the Islamic Republic era. The book contains depictions of political and domestic violence, child sexual abuse, and death by suicide.

Informative

Contemplative

Emotional

Mysterious

Reviews & Readership

3.9

137,559 ratings

59%

Loved it

27%

Mixed feelings

14%

Not a fan

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Review Roundup

Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran captivates with its blend of literary analysis and personal memoir, offering profound insights into life in post-revolutionary Iran. Praised for its eloquent prose and poignant themes, it sometimes faces critique for digressive narration. Overall, it remains a thought-provoking homage to the power of literature.

Who should read this

Who Should Read Reading Lolita in Tehran?

A reader who appreciates memoirs blending personal narrative with literary analysis would enjoy Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi. Fans of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis or Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns will find the exploration of life under oppressive regimes particularly compelling.

3.9

137,559 ratings

59%

Loved it

27%

Mixed feelings

14%

Not a fan

Book Details
Pages

400

Format

Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction

Setting

Tehran, Iran • 1990s

Publication Year

2003

Audience

Adult

Recommended Reading Age

18+ years

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