Abbas Amanat’s ’Iran‘: The Challenges of History with an Attitude
By Amir Taheri
Throughout the history of writing history, that is to say since Herodotus put pen to paper, Iran has always attracted and at the same time repelled those who, for a variety of...
Bahrain Orders 17,000 School Textbooks Reprinted over “Persian Gulf” Gaffe
DUBAI, Feb 12 (Reuters) - Bahrain has ordered 17,000 English school textbooks reprinted for labeling the body of water surrounding the Arab island kingdom as the "Persian Gulf", a political taboo, state news agency...
Author Alexandra Monir Writes Sci-Fi Book With Iranian-American Female Lead
By Fred Parvaneh
Alexandra Monir is the Iranian-American author of five published young adult novels, including the bestselling time-travel romance "Timeless" (a Barnes & Noble bestseller and an Amazon Best Book of the Month). It...
Book Review: Memoirs Of An Iranian Rebel, Masoud Banisadr
By Amir Taheri
You are young and unhappy because you think your people lack the freedom they deserve. So, you join a group that promises a new dawn of humanity only if you agree to...
Award-winning Author Khakpour Writes Memoir of Her Illness
Porochista Khakpour is an acclaimed Iranian-American author and academic whose memoir "Sick: A Memoir" – about her battle with Lyme Disease – is due to be published by HarperCollins in May 2018.
Khakpour's debut novel...
Portraying Iranian-American Diversity: Novelist Abdi Nazemian
By Fred Parvaneh
Abdi Nazemian is an Iranian-American novelist whose nuanced stories offer a realistic portrayal of the community he was born into – without stereotyping. He recently released his second novel, "The Authentics," a...
How Central Asia Has Had a “Raw Deal” for 200 Years
When people think of Central Asia, they usually associate the region much more with the former Soviet Union than with Asia or even the Middle East – and sometimes even less so with Islam....
German-Iranian Author Nava Ebrahimi Discusses Her First Novel
By Behjat Omid
A wave of titles by second-generation German-Iranian authors is making its way into German bookstores.
Critically acclaimed releases include Nava Ebrahimi’s "Sechzehn Worter" ("Sixteen Words"), Shida Bazyar’s "Nachts ist es Leise in Tehran"...
Fighting for Iranian and Kurdish Women’s Rights: A Talk with Author Diana Nammi
By Tara Biglari
Diana Nammi has spent the past few decades fighting to protect Iranian and Kurdish women against so-called honor killings, forced marriage, child marriage and domestic abuse. In a recent talk in north...
Honoring the Sofreh Tradition: An Interview with Maryam Khosrowshahi
For centuries, Iranians have celebrated important occasions such as weddings and the Persian New Year, or Nowruz, with a unique tradition known as sofreh (Persian for 'spread.') Exquisite textiles are covered with flowers, fruits,...