When Azar Nafisi was fired from Tehran University (where she was teaching English literature) because she refused to wear a veil, she gathered a group of her female students and resumed her classes at home, privately and discreetly.
Presents a historical portrait of a family that spans the many periods of change leading up to the Islamic Revolution of 1978-79. This title reflects on women's choices, and how the author found the inspiration for a different kind of life.
Offers the author's personal story of growing up in Iran, memories of her life lived in thrall to a powerful and complex mother, against the background of a country's political revolution.