Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America And American in Iran

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It's a hit!

I liked this book. The author clearly had or has trouble fitting in. The problem for me though, was that I got annoyed and kept thinking, "You don'... (show more)

I liked this book. The author clearly had or has trouble fitting in. The problem for me though, was that I got annoyed and kept thinking, "You don't belong. I get it. Now, get over it"

I think her aunt's servant had it right when she said "So everything has to be just the way you want it?" That is what the author wanted. Even at the end of the book, she had a coping mechanism in place. She surrounds herself with other equally melancholy Iranian-Americans, each in their way, lamenting the could-have-would-have-should-haves.

So, what did I like about the book? The description of Iranians and how they have to constantly avoid getting caught. It's almost like a real life setting for Orwell's 1984.

I think there are a great many of us who do not belong. Whether it's a particular ethnic or cultural group, or whether you're a Greaser or as Soc. While it's difficult to get others to conform to us, we have other choices aside from complaining or lamenting, and that is either we conform to them or just be comfortable in our own skins and just accept the fact that they are what they are and we are what we are. (show less)

 

 

by Facebook-användare

No, it's a flop!

While the topic was fascinating, I found it really disjointed and the writing very jarring. The parts I enjoyed most were direct experiences with ... (show more)

While the topic was fascinating, I found it really disjointed and the writing very jarring. The parts I enjoyed most were direct experiences with the culture, descriptions of people and friends and how they dealt with the societal requirements, and details of life in Tehran (very educational).

Parts that were difficult to appreciate: the long, disjointed sentences and the constant reference back to her personal struggle with alienation in both continents. After awhile, it became the same thing over and over again. Not minimizing her personal strife with identity, just found that for the book it was quite repetitive and redundant. Cece is probably right- it was probably started as a bunch of essays.

Worth reading if you have acute interest in Iran and the life there. (show less)

 

 

by Allison Barrett Carter

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  The author's remarkable strength in her personality has shone through this book and has brought me to her two distinctly different worlds- shifting between the ever liberal USA and war torn totalitarian state of Iran. It is a highly gratifying account to know of the various dissimilarities and how a modern day mjoito sipping Iranian female like her who has spent her childhood in USA, had coped with them.

  The author has a flair for writing politics, partly because of her undergraduate degr... (show more)

  The author's remarkable strength in her personality has shone through this book and has brought me to her two distinctly different worlds- shifting between the ever liberal USA and war torn totalitarian state of Iran. It is a highly gratifying account to know of the various dissimilarities and how a modern day mjoito sipping Iranian female like her who has spent her childhood in USA, had coped with them.

  The author has a flair for writing politics, partly because of her undergraduate degree background in political studies and her career as a journalist for Time magazine, kudos to her for that. A fair amount of the book is dedicated to narrate the political events in Iran and i believed that it may take some people to spend more efforts to read through them. Nonetherless, this is highly recommended book to read and to brush up on the happenings in the Muslim world. (show less)

   

   

  by Facebook-användare on Jul 23, 2009 at 02:52PM

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  I appreciate the intellectualism of the author at such a young age and also the research work being carried out. But, all in all i found most of the Instances and Incidents too exaggerated. Weather it was about her confusion of belonging in a diaspora, her clashes with the Mullahs or her attempts at attaining the perfect relationship.
  The people who dont know much about Iran will find it full of information and will be amazed about the Underground heroine and Club culture but also who know ... (show more)

  I appreciate the intellectualism of the author at such a young age and also the research work being carried out. But, all in all i found most of the Instances and Incidents too exaggerated. Weather it was about her confusion of belonging in a diaspora, her clashes with the Mullahs or her attempts at attaining the perfect relationship.
  The people who dont know much about Iran will find it full of information and will be amazed about the Underground heroine and Club culture but also who know about iran will disagree with her on most of the things than agreeing with her.
  She also falls into a trap of looking at all things from her western born n brought' point of view and also narrating everything from a UpperMiddle class or Higher society spectrum.
  All in all there are much better reads about Iran Vis-a-vis The soul of iran and Perseopolis being few of them. (show less)

   

  by Hussain Motiwala on Apr 23, 2009 at 12:25PM

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