Flamingnet Student Book Reviewer MKub
In 1973 Tehran, Iran's sprawling capital city, Pasha is
secretly in love with his betrothed neighbor, Zari. But
being best friends with her fiance, who is part of a
secret organization to over throw the dictating Shah and
their secret police, doesn't help much either. When he is
found and murdered they are all thrown into grief, while
Zari and Pasha's relationship grows strong. Reality shows
Pasha and his friends that life is hard and unforgiving
and drives Zari to make a shocking choice which Pasha may
never recover from. And it could change the courses of
their lives forever.
This book is probably one of the
best that I have ever read. It opened my eyes to what life
is really like in the Middle East and how not everyone
from there are bad. I absolutely loved the characters and
the reality of the world, and how it's not always a
perfect place, like many others make it seem. It was
really emotional how everyone dealt with things, and
almost had me in tears. I could not put this book down and
dreaded having to stop reading. I totally recommend this
to anyone who loves books and great love
stories.
Violence and Swearing
Reviewer
Age:14
Reviewer City, State and Country: Minooka, Ill
United States
Official website for
ROOFTOPS OF TEHRAN
Click here
About the author: Mahbod Seraji
Mahbod Seraji came to America in May of 1976, with the
intent of obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil
Engineering, and then returning to Iran to work in its
booming construction industry. But it wasnt long after
his arrival that upheaval and turmoil swept his country --
the Shah was overthrown in 1979, the American diplomats in
Tehran were taken hostage by a group of radical university
students, and Saddam Husseins army attacked Iran,
starting a war that lasted over eight years and claimed
over one million lives and Mahbod was forced to change
his plans by staying at the University of Iowa until 1989
and securing his Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate
degrees.
Rooftops took about three years to write. Mahbod says
sometimes he would start writing at seven oclock in the
evening and would write all through night without
realizing how much time had passed. Rooftops of Tehran
is not an autobiography, but some of the events in the
story are based on actual experiences.
"Repression and revolution provide the background for a
deeply felt love story that gives outsiders a rare look
inside modern Iran. This is a gripping account of a
nation's violent lurch from one kind of tyranny to
another, and also a delicately insightful portrait of how
ordinary people react when their worlds suddenly collapse.
At a time when we urgently need to know more about
Iranians, Rooftops of Tehran introduces both the
complexity of their political history and the richness of
their emotional lives."
Stephen Kinzer, hauthor of All the Shah's Men: An
American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror -
May 2009
... charmingly romantic. Seraji captures the thoughts and
emotions of a young boy and creates a moving portrait of
the history and customs of the Persians and life in Iran
during this period.
Publishers Weekly - March 2009
