Persepolis

The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (2007), 341 pgs. 

Marjane's childhood was full of changes. Not just in her own life--as she grew up and discovered new interests in terms of religion, music, and style--but also in the political situation of her home country, Iran. When Marjane was little, she dreamed of being a revolutionary and a prophet, and she played with her friends in the yard. She did not have to wear a veil in public. After the Islamic Revolution, she and her friends were subject to new rules, but that did not stop their rebellious spirits.

In this autobiographical graphic novel about growing up in Iran (and Europe) in the 80s and 90s, Marjane Sarapti illustrates for an audience of all ages the dualities of being a child in a sometimes dangerous political environment. She captures well the love she has for her country and the beauty in her life, as well as the very difficult dark sides of her experiences. This book is a great introduction to Iran and one girl's (now woman's) experience in her culture. 

The Land Beyond the Sea

The Land Beyond the Sea by Sharon Kay Penman, 672 pages

In this sweeping historical fiction novel, Penman brings to life the short reign of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, a young man who ruled for just 11 years in the 12th Century. Baldwin was crowned at the age of 12 when his father died, and while he was a thoughtful ruler, he was also a leper. Penman details his life and that of the religious leaders and nobility surrounding him, focusing particularly on his cunning mother Agnes, his chancellor and confidante William, and the heroic Lord Balian d'Ibelin, whose level head and diplomacy ended saving thousands of lives when Jerusalem fell to the Muslim army after Baldwin's short-sighted brother-in-law took the crown after the leper king's death.

I honestly don't know that I would have read this if I hadn't been forced to by a committee I'm on, and I certainly wouldn't have read it in 72 hours like I had to for this same committee. But I'm glad I read it, and I'd highly recommend it to other fans of military historical fiction. Just take your time reading it; it deserves a much more thoughtful read than I was able to give it.

The City of Brass

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty, 532 pages

Nahri is a bit of a con artist in 18th-Century Cairo, albeit a con who has the power to heal people. But her con bites back when she accidentally summons a powerful djinn warrior named Dara and attracts the attention of the demonic ifrit. Soon, Dara is racing Nahri across the desert to the djinn city of Daevabad, where he hopes she can find some safety from the ifrit, and where Nahri hopes she can find out a bit about her healing ability. But tensions between different djinn tribes have made Daevabad a much trickier city than either Dara or Nahri expected. This was an intriguing tale of magic and politics, and I'm excited to hear what the Orcs & Aliens think of it at book group on Monday.

Exit West

Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (2017) 231 pages

There are at least four reviews of Exit West on this site that compelled me to add the book to my "to read" list. I'm glad I finally had a chance to check it out. Two young adults, Nadia and Saeed, meet in their native land, an unnamed Middle Eastern country, while political turmoil is altering their country and endangering their lives. Eventually the couple decides to migrate, first to Greece, then to Britain, then to the US. Their migrations are almost magical, except that we see it often takes much waiting and concern before the time is right for them to go through the "doors" to other countries. Author Mohsin Hamid's power lies in his portrayal of the changing relationship of Nadia and Saeed. He packs worlds of meaning into what at first seem to be long, but simple phrases. One that particularly struck me:  "They slept on the slender single bed together without speaking, without touching... not unlike a couple that was long and unhappily married, a couple that made out of opportunities for joy, misery" (page 127).  Hamid also deals with evolving personal changes, e.g., one's changing inclination for prayer, or independence. This is a thoughtful work, filled with many instances of pithiness.

  

Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin and Sadat at Camp David

Thirteen Days in September: Carter, Begin and Sadat at Camp David / Lawrence Wright 345 pgs.

In 1978, the leaders of three nations got together and tried to solve a dispute that was really much bigger than any or all of them.  Jimmy Carter went out on a limb and convinced Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin to come to Camp David and attempt to hash out a solution.  This book covers each of the thirteen days the meetings ended up taking even though there were many times it looked like the talks would break down.  The author gives a lot of background on each group, their history and the results.  This was an amazing event in history and this book is an amazing account. Great work.

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On the Noodle Road

On the Noodle Road: From Beijing to Rome, with Love and Pasta by Jen

Lin-Liu  388 pp.

Lin-Liu was living in China and running a cooking school when she decided to research the origin of noodles (no Marco Polo didn't bring them back to Italy from China). To do this she spent several months traveling the Silk Road from China through Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, to Italy. On the way she ate her way through the noodle cuisines of many cultures, for the better and the worse. She was welcomed into peoples' homes to learn to fix a variety of noodle dishes. She did not find the origin of noodles but she did discover how closely related many dishes in the different cultures were to one another. Parts of the trip were made alone and part with her husband. I could have lived without the parts about her angst about her marriage and her ambivalence about her role as a wife in exchange for more about the different cultures she encountered. I listened to the audiobook version but now need to check out the book to see the recipes.