Instead, the boy committed an astonishing act of mercy. It was an act that decades later would save his own life.This is a remarkable story. It is gut-wrenching, essential, and astonishing. It’s a war story. A love story. A page-turner of vast moral dimensions. An eloquent and haunting act of witness to horrors beyond grimmest fiction, and a thing of towering beauty. More importantly, it is a story that must be told, and a richly textured view into an overlooked conflict and misunderstood region. This is the great untold story of the children and young men whose lives were sacrificed at the whim of vicious dictators and pointless, barbaric wars. Little has been written of the Iran-Iraq war, which was among the most brutal conflicts of the twentieth century, one fought with chemical weapons, ballistic missiles, and cadres of child soldiers. The numbers involved are staggering: —All told, it claimed 700,000 lives—200,000 Iraqis, and 500,000 Iranians. —Young men of military service age—eighteen and above in Iraq, fifteen and above in Iran—died in the greatest numbers. —80,000 Iranian child soldiers were killed, mostly between the ages of sixteen and seventeen. —The two countries spent a combined 1.1 trillion dollars fighting the war. Rarely does this kind of reportage succeed so power- fully as literature. More rarely still does such searingly brilliant literature—fit to stand beside Remarque, Hemingway, and O’Brien—emerge from behind “enemy” lines. But Zahed, a child, and Najah, a young restaurateur, are rare men—not just survivors, but masterful, wondrously gifted storytellers. Written with award-winning journalist Meredith May, this is literature of a very high order, set down with passion, urgency, and consummate skill. This story is an affirmation that, in the end, it is our humanity that transcends politics and borders and saves us all.

    I wish that you will visit Iran so you will see for yourself about my country. WE ARE NOT TERRORISTS!!! Please come to my city, Shiraz. It is very famous as the friendliest city in Iran, it is the city of poetry and gardens and wine!!!Your Persian friend,HabibIntrigued, Lois decides to ignore the official warnings against travel (and the warnings of her friends and family) and sets off alone on a 3,000 mile ride from Tabriz to Shiraz, to try to uncover the heart of this most complex and incongruous country. Along the way, she meets carpet sellers and drug addicts, war veterans and housewives, doctors and teachers - people living ordinary lives under the rule of an extraordinarily strict Islamic government.Revolutionary Ride is the story of a people and a country. Religious and hedonistic, practical and poetic, modern and rooted in tradition - and with a wild sense of humour and appreciation of beauty despite the comparative lack of freedom - this is the true story of real contemporary Iran.

    According to the federal government, she and others from the Middle East are white. Indeed, a historical myth circulates even in immigrant families like Roya's, proclaiming Iranians to be the "original" white race. But based on the treatment Roya and her family receive in American schools, airports, workplaces, and neighborhoods-interactions characterized by intolerance or hate-Roya is increasingly certain that she is not white. In The Limits of Whiteness, Neda Maghbouleh offers a groundbreaking, timely look at how Iranians and other Middle Eastern Americans move across the color line.By shadowing Roya and more than 80 other young people, Maghbouleh documents Iranian Americans' shifting racial status. Drawing on never-before-analyzed historical and legal evidence, she captures the unique experience of an immigrant group trapped between legal racial invisibility and everyday racial hyper-visibility. Her findings are essential for understanding the unprecedented challenge Middle Easterners now face under "extreme vetting" and potential reclassification out of the "white" box. Maghbouleh tells for the first time the compelling, often heartbreaking story of how a white American immigrant group can become brown and what such a transformation says about race in America.

    Abbas Amanat covers the dynasties, revolutions, civil wars, foreign occupation, and new Islamic regime of this complex period in history. Amanat combines chronological and thematic approaches, exploring events with lasting implications for modern Iran and the world. Drawing on the latest historical scholarship and emphasizing the twentieth century in its coverage, the book addresses debates about Iran’s culture and politics. Political history is the driving focus of this narrative based on decades of research and study, which is layered with discussions of literature, music, and the arts; ideology and religion; economy and society; and cultural identity and heritage.

    The deal accomplished two major feats in one stroke: it averted the threat of war with Iran and prevented the possibility of an Iranian nuclear bomb. Tria Parsi, a Middle East foreign policy expert who advised the Obama White House throughout the talks and had access to decision-makers and diplomats on the U.S. and Iranian sides alike, examines every facet of a triumph that could become as important and consequential as Nixon’s rapprochement with China. Drawing from more than seventy-five in-depth interviews with key decision-makers, including Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, this is the first authoritative account of President Obama’s signature foreign policy achievement.

    But her month-long vacation turns into a nightmare when her Persian relatives refuse to let her return to the States. She is forced to deal with the dizzying maze of social customs, resist her grandmother’s efforts to mold her into the proper Persian girl, dodge her aunt’s schemes of marriage, and fight to make her own life choices until she can find a way to return home. Longing for her friends and her freedom, only the enigma of her missing aunt, Scheherezade, gives Ana a glimmer of hope of one day escaping Iran for good. Will Ana’s family marry her off and forever bind her to this country, or will she break free of Iran’s walls and find her way back to America?

    Or so the doctors say. But Nahid is not the type to trust anyone. She resents the cancer diagnosis she has been given and the doctor who has given it to her. Bubbling inside her is also resentment toward life as it turned out, and the fact that it will go on without her. She feels alone, alone with her illness and alone with her thoughts. She yearns yet fails to connect with her only daughter, Aram. As the rawness of death draws near, Nahid should want to protect Aram from pain. She knows she should. Yet what is a daughter but one born to share in her mother’s pain?At fifty, Nahid is no stranger to death. As a Marxist revolutionary in eighties Iran, she saw loved ones killed in the street and was forced to flee to Sweden. She and her husband abandoned their roots to build a new life in a new country. They told themselves they did it for their newborn daughter, so she could live free. But now as she stands on the precipice facing death, Nahid understands that what you thought you escaped will never let you go. And without roots, can you ever truly be free?

    Peek inside the homes of artists, entrepreneurs, and architects in a barely known and mysterious country. Have you always wondered how Iranians live? With vibrant pictures, 'Behind Closed Curtains' opens the doors to sixteen homes all over the country and shows what makes Iranian design and architecture so special. Along the line, readers will get to know the country, people, and stories behind the often closed curtains.This book is the first ever covering the topic of interior design in Iran. No matter if you are a designer looking for inspiration or planning a trip to Iran, this book is the perfect introduction and for the 5 million expat Iranians, this is some nostalgia.

    Haunted by nostalgia for a bygone era, he recalled a protected and idyllic childhood in the fabled city of Shiraz and his coming of age during the 1979 Iranian revolution. Back in London, he reflected on what had happened to him and his family after their uprooting and decided to conduct his own investigation into why he lost his country. He spent the next ten years seeking out witnesses who would shed light on the last days of Pahlavi rule. Among those he met were a former empress, ex-courtiers, disaffected revolutionaries, and the bereaved relatives of those who perished in the cataclysm. In Farewell Shiraz, Kadivar tells the story of his family and childhood against the tumultuous backdrop of twentieth-century Iran, from the 1905-1907 Constitutional Revolution to the fall of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, before presenting accounts of his meetings with key witnesses to the Shah's fall and the rise of Khomeini. Each of the people interviewed provides a richly detailed picture of the momentous events that took place and the human drama behind them. Combining exquisite vignettes with rare testimonials and first-hand interviews, Farewell Shiraz draws us into a sweeping yet often intimate account of a vanished world and offers a compelling investigation into a political earthquake whose reverberations still live with us today.

    Amalia Tavori an expert on roller coasters, and mother of three, has always known that the "small life" – a nine to five job, raising children, maintaining a home – was not for her. She hasn't forgotten her younger days, when she went nuts for boys, did crazy stunts, laughed in the face of danger and dreamed of a glamorous life in which she'd travel the globe.None of this came to be in her adult life but she still held hope that her time would come. It arrived totally unexpectedly when, her husband of 25 years, an attorney, told her that he they were completely broke and deeply in debt – soon they and their 3 children would have nowhere to live. Amalia concluded that the only way to fix this financial disaster was to reconsider an old offer made her by the Israel's Mossad to work as a spy in enemy territory.In an instant, her life went from being ordinary to extraordinary; she turned into a woman of the world – traveling the globe with an unlimited expense account. Her new life introduced new experiences; she fell in love with a considerably younger, married man while helping to save his child, all this in enemy territory. She argued with her children and was forced to face death within her family.Roller Coaster in Tehran newly defines faithfulness, betrayal, enemy and compassion while portraying a woman whose ordinary life was transformed into an extraordinary one. Dr. Amalia Tavori is willing to die for her country but not for a life without love.

    Born in California into a Muslim family from Iran, Zoha Farzam thought she had her entire life planned. Graduating from UC Davis in just three years, and attending Stanford Medical School. Even removing her scarf without her parents knowing was a carefully planned rebellion, but she never in her wildest dreams planned Ethan. Ethan Renard was everything she was not, and when he made her question everything she believed in, Zoha found herself being torn between her happiness and her duty. Would she risk everything, her family, her faith, and even her reputation for him?A moving portrait about the challenges one faces from being in two cultures, or falling in love with someone who is, and the hard decisions one must make to be true to oneself. Awakened by Love is astonishingly beautiful and frighteningly honest. Critics call it captivating, powerful and a novel for everyone. The first in a trilogy, Awakened by Truth comes next!

    In Iran, she was denied all of this..Milad Jafari was a shy teenage by who found his voice as a musician. But the music he loved was illegal in his country. Milad's father - a key-maker, builder and shopkeeper - wanted his family to live free from the fear of arrest,imprisonment or execution. To do that, they all had to flee Iran.Mojgan and Milad met in Australia. But in the months between their separate sea voyages, the Australian government changed the way asylum seekers were treated. Though Milad is recognised as a refugee and will soon become a proud Australian citizen, Mojgan has been told she cannot stay here even tough the threat of imprisonment and further abuse, or worse, means she can't return to Iran. This is their story.Under the Same Sky is a powerful insight into the human face of asylum seekers and the way history has shaped the lives of these two young people. It also shows the compassion found in our suburbs. For Mojgan and Milad, love keeps their hopes alive.

    The author examines how Hizbullah has altered its institutional structure and reconstructed Lebanese Shi'a history in a manner similar to that of nationalist movements. Through fieldwork and research, the project finds that Hizbullah has centralized around the concept of Wilayat al-Fagih (Gaurdianship of the Islamic Jurists): in essence, the absolute authority of Iran's Supreme Leader over the Shi'a "nation."

    The only options for a homosexual in Iran are to choose transsexuality, which is tolerated by law, or to flee. The subjects of Iranian photographer Laurence Rastis (b. 1990, Geneva) elegant hardcover photo book live in the small Turkish town of Denizli, where hundreds of gay Iranians are waiting to move to a tolerant country. Rasti explores concepts of beauty, identity and gender in her spare and evocative images set in landscapes, mundane settings and street scenes, creating a new language of camouflage and discretion. Underlining the contrast between conspicuousness and obscurity, Rastis couples hide behind eye-catching props such as balloons or flowers or are glimpsed behind trees or bushes. She hides her subjects in plain sight, referencing the experience of these individuals who do not exist in Iran. Rasti was the Aperture Portfolio Award Finalist and Magnum Photo Award Jurors Pick (2016).

    and Europe very soon.” This quote came just before the U.S. presidential election, a time when President Barack Obama was winding down his presidency and American society was busy reflecting on his past actions over the 8 years of his presidency. Of those actions that incoming President Donald Trump has decided to focus on, “tearing up” the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (also more commonly known as the Iran Nuclear Deal) was near the top of the list. The crux of the deal focuses on Iran’s agreement to rolling back uranium stockpiles and enrichment capabilities in exchange for the ending of nuclear-related sanctions against Iran. Due to the IRGC’s current involvement in the Iranian economy, they stand to gain from the ending of the sanctions. Possible threats to the deal by the incoming Trump Administration are of concern in Iran, and the threat of the IRGC spreading in Western countries is a concern as well. The impact of the changing of terms to the Iran Nuclear Deal is just one concern among many of members of the IRGC. The multi-party conflict of the Syrian Civil War has pulled Iran deeper into this global conflict, as the number of refugees and internally displaced people rise. Through it all, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has held a position of power and prestige in Iranian society and has inspired both revolution and concern around the world. The IRGC is notable for its involvement in conflicts around the Middle East, particularly in supporting Shi’a groups through military training and finance, as well as backup support on the battlefield. This is not to say the IRGC enters into conflicts for the sake of being involved, but rather, they see these particular situations as serving the interests of Iran and furthering their brand of Shi’ism, a sect of Islam. The IRGC sees itself as a protector of Islam, Iran’s theocracy, and the principles of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, so its involvement is always framed in terms of benefits to the overall goals of promoting revolutionary ideals. As analyst Afshon Ostovar puts it, “The IRGC is a multifaceted organization with reach into many different areas. It is a security service, an intelligence operation, a social and cultural force, and a complex industrial economic conglomerate.” The IRGC operates in a very similar manner to other Islamist paramilitary organizations, such as Hezbollah, Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and--their current enemies on the battlefield--the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Jabhat Al-Nusra. These Islamist groups’ power and influence comes from their control over the societies in which they operate and whether or not they have influential allies. The main difference for the IRGC, however, is the support of Iranian leadership in carrying out their main mission of maintaining and exporting the revolution. In essence, the IRGC has rooted itself in Iranian society and spread its influence through association with the society’s most integral components--the education system, businesses, civil organizations, and religion--all at the request and blessing of the Supreme Leader of Iran. This is a similar model ISIL and Jabhat Al-Nusra are attempting to carry out in Syria and Iraq, and the one that Hamas and Hezbollah currently carry out in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. The IRGC is also very much involved in Iran’s economy and has a stake in its nuclear ambitions.

    Byrd and Seyed Javad Miri bring together a collections of essays by a variety of scholars who explore the lasting influence of the Iranian sociologist and revolutionary, Ali Shariati. Thought to be the most important intellectual behind the Iranian Revolution of 1979, these essays engage in a future-oriented remembrance of Shariati's life and praxis, with the practical attempt to clarify, expand, and apply his liberational Islamic thought to modern conditions. Making use of Shariati's writings on Shi'a Islam and western philosophy, this text is especially important for those who want to understand the role that intellectuals, both religious and secular, can have in the liberation of mankind. Contributors are: Mahdi Ahouie, Bader Mousa al-Saif, Sophia Rose Arjana, M. Kurad Atalar, Dustin J. Byrd, Eric Goodfi eld, Teo Lee Ken, Georg Leube, Seyed Javad Miri, Carimo Mohomed, Chandra Muzaffar, Khosrow Bagheri Noaparast, Fatemeh Shayan, and Esmaeil Zeiny.