The Dance of the Rose and the Nightingale by Nesta Ramazani

This autobiography is story of an upper class Iranian girl who danced.  It is rich in the sights, sounds, and cultures of her world growing up in the 1920s – 1940s.  Her experience is not what most Americans expect to hear about, especially those who may have seen movies like Not Without my Daughter.  That was fine with me, but I am a little annoyed at the jacket write-up, which obviously was catering to our American preconceptions.  For example, “. . .an autobiography penned by an Iranian woman – still a taboo in traditional Iranian society . . .”  Well, she wrote the book while living in the U.S., so it was hardly a risky endeavor.  

Her family was Christian/Zoroastrian, so right there she’s in the minority.  If you want a book about the plight of abused, down-trodden, veiled Iranian Muslim women, you will be disappointed.  This is a well-written description of Persian culture, with a smattering of history (probably more than most of us got in school) thrown in.  Certainly she does deal with women’s issues in Iran, but not in a sensational manner.