Forgotten Empire

Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia, edited by John E Curtis and Nigel Tallis, 263 pages

The Achaemenid Persian Empire, the empire of Cyrus, Darius, and Xerxes, may not be entirely forgotten, but it is certainly overshadowed by the Hellenistic empires that followed.  When it is remembered, it is usually through other eyes, as the great enemy of the Greeks or as the great friend of the Jews.  Although the empire was the largest the world had ever seen up to that time and endured for over two centuries, even in Persia itself its memory swiftly eroded, in large part due to the vandalism of Alexander and his successors.

This exhibition, then, put on by the British Museum with the cooperation of the Iranian government, represents a welcome opportunity to explore the world of the Persians from within.  It is unfortunate that it is rather underwhelming.  The objects themselves are largely indifferent, and the essays included in the catalogue tend to be mind-numbingly technical, focused more on describing the archaeology of ancient Persia rather than making it live.  There are some interesting essays, just as there are some interesting exhibits, but on the whole it is somewhat disappointing.

Zoroastrian Faith

 The Zoroastrian Faith: Tradition and Modern Research by SA Nigosian, 118 pages

Zoroastrianism is an outlier within the elastic category of Great World Religions.  For centuries it was practiced throughout successive and expansive Persian and Parthian empires, ordering the lives of millions of devotees.  It survives today only among tiny populations in Iran and India and their scattered emigre communities.  Often inaccurately labeled "fire-worship" or misunderstood as Manichaean dualism, not entirely monotheistic but not exactly polytheistic either, with strong similarities to Hinduism but also deep resonances with Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, the Zoroastrian faith is unique and more than a mere curiosity.

Thankfully, SA Nigosian's survey of Zoroastrian faith and practice is true to its subtitle: "Tradition and Modern Research."  Nigosian does not approach the former uncritically, but neither does he elevate the claims of the latter to indisputable truth.  Above all, he is willing to admit when something is simply not known.  Best of all, he writes almost purely descriptively, generally avoiding the pseudo-apologetical mode common in these kinds of books.  

From Fire By Water

From Fire By Water: My Journey to the Catholic Faith by Sohrab Ahmari, 207 pages

Sohrab Ahmari is a classic immigrant success story.  Born to intellectual, secular Iranian parents several years after the Islamic Revolution, his mother brought him to the US as a teen.  Starting out in a Utah trailer park, able to understand the language but not always the culture due to his love of Hollywood films, he managed to earn his way into the Ivy League and eventually a job as op-ed editor of New York's premier newspaper, the New York Post.  

But that isn't what this book is about.  Rather, as the subtitle indicates, it is an explanation of the lifelong journey that led to his 2016 reception into the Catholic Church.  Beginning with his childhood as a dissident Persian boy in love with an ideal America as the alternative to the mullahs, he then explores his disappointment with the real America, his adolescent passion for Nietzsche and collegiate passion for Trotsky and later embrace of neoconservatism and, finally, his ultimate dismissal of all utopian ideologies.  Through it all, he movingly relates his growing recognition of the human need for order and therefore authority, an order and an authority not imposed by force but grown from sacrifice.

Moon At Nine

Moon At Nine by Deborah Ellis, 223 pages

Farrin attends a good school in Iran, but never tries too hard.  Her mother is angry that the Shah was overthrown and doesn’t like the new government.  When she went to the same school it was for the elite.  Now, anyone who is intelligent has a chance to go to the school.  Farrin has no friends because of her family’s money until the day that Sadira comes to school.  Sadira is different and she and Farrin become good friends and perhaps more.  However, in Iran, being gay or lesbian is illegal and if anyone finds out about Farrin and Sadira’s love, they could be jailed, beaten or even killed.  The girls believe that their love is worth that risk but they may be put to the test sooner than they think.  This is a really good story for teens that have an interest in the conflicts that people face in other countries.

If You Could Be Mine

If You Could Be Mine, by Sara Farizan, 247 pages

This is an impressive first work of young adult fiction by Sara Farizan, and touches on a subject rarely discussed.  Sahar and Nasrin are two young women in love, but it's an especially dangerous enterprise since they live in Iran, where their love is illegal.  When Nasrin becomes engaged to a young doctor, Sahar sees her world spinning out of control.  By chance, Sahar discovers that even though homosexuality is illegal in Iran, transsexuality is seen by the government as a flaw that they will pay to fix with surgery.   Sahar decides that to keep Nasrin, she should become a man. 

I found the premise suspect, but according to the flawless Wikipedia, this is actually true- Iran offers more gender reassignment surgeries than almost any other country in the world.  It's refreshing to read LGBT fiction for young adults that addresses the "T"- you don't see that too often.  I felt that it was addressed responsibly and with sensitivity.