To See and See Again: A Life in Iran and America

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Summary: Sincere, true, and "Bi Taarof"
Review: This book is undoubtedly one of the best "Immigrant Stories" ever written. As a person who has spent enough time in Iran during the revolution, the war, and beyond, I can totaly apreciate what Ms. Bahrampour has done. She shows that unlike what many expats who live in the safety of home may want to believe, life in Iran, under all circumstances, continues. It is not that people over in Iran have nothing to do, and they are waiting for good LA Iranians to come and rescue them! For an American reader, this book is a wonderful insight to the reality of Iran, past and present. Probably the only weaknesses are a little bend toward the market demand (understandable in the current book publishing system), and constant talk of women pushing you to marry. As long as I know, women in Iran do have some other things to do than just wear make up and talk about marriage. Still, a great book. Way to go Taraneh Khanoum, Damet Garm!

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Summary: A wonderful book---has created a quest for knowledge in me
Review: I haven't read a book for a long time that opened up so many worlds to me as this one did. It made me want to read much more about Iran. Like many Americans, before reading this account of a life lived between Iran and America, I knew little about life in Iran, and even less about the life of women there. I had no idea what a rich and fascinating culture it was. The author writes so well---and one thing I really liked was the balance between this being a book about her and her life and about the culture in general. Some books become like an excuse for self-analysis, and others like a disguised history book, but this one hit just the right balance. I hope I will read more some day by this talented writer.

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Summary: I couldn't put it down!
Review: It was a beautiful journey. This is a great book.

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Summary: A wonderful book for those interested in Iran.
Review: For those interested in Iran, Tara Bahrampour gives a wonderful view of her loved homeland which she lived as a child. She describes delightfully her older childhood years in American and then has inciteful descriptions when she returned to Iran as a young woman. Her Iranian family is warm and interesting. I feel I know Iran better after reading her book. I especially like her use of Farsi words throughout her book. John J. Casalino

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Summary: Fantastic
Review: Taraneh Bahrampour writes a vivid, personal, and yet all too familiar account of a life between two worlds which have, for far too long, been at odds with one another. Iranian-Americans, like myself, feel an instant connection with the themes she brings up, and other readers see a side of Iran and its people which is too often overlooked by the media. If "Not Without My Daughter" left a bitter image of Iranian life, this book will, I hope, reflect a truer picture of a rich and multi-dimentional culture.

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Summary: Enchanting and Inspiring
Review: This beautifully written book pulled tears from my eyes, laughter from my mouth, and feelings from my heart. Many thanks to the author for encapsulating her family's personal story and sharing it with the world. I completed the book in less than two days, unable to set it down, and now I cannot wait to enjoy it again hoping I can identify with something I did not before. I'm eagerly awaiting Tara Bahrampour to captivate the world with a sequel.

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Summary: Loved every word of it
Review: If you're living in a Western country and like to learn about foreign cultures then get this book immediately! The half-Iranian half-American author knows both the Eastern and the Western world so she knows exactly how to write about her homeland and make us understand its rich culture. This is a book full of interesting details, it's like a rich panorama which shows us the life of different classes of society in Iran from the poor to the rich, and it's also a family saga of three generations with a grandfather who is a rich man with two wives living in the old-fashioned way, a father who is married to an American, and the author and her siblings who are between two worlds. Lovely story. Thank you Tara.

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Summary: An Appreciation for Personal History
Review: Having lived in Iran prior to and during the beginning of the Revolution, I was fascinated to see Bahrampour's vision of her home. Her description of the family in Iran as loving, close, loyal to its members was heart-warming. Her youthful feelings of alienation when she was plucked out of a secure-seeming world and dropped into a difficult life in America rang very true. Her appreciation for the changes she found when she returned to Iran as an adult rang equally true. I strongly recommend it as engaging reading and as contemporary history as seen by one young woman.

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Summary: to read and read again!!
Review: I loved this book, I learned so much about Iran, and remembered so much I had forgotten.My daughter has a longing for Iran and so this was the perfect book for her to find out about her culture and learn some Farsi too!
Well written and informative, unbiased and imaginative prose,I loved this book.

Rating:
Summary: to see and see again
Review: when i began dating an iranian man, i began a quest for any knowledge, information, even photographs that might clue me into this passionate and complex culture. taraneh bahrampour does a beautiful job weaving her dissonance AND love with both the american AND iranian cultures. i couldn't put the book down because of the constant 'aha' moments that let me in, if only briefly, to the subtlties, the oddities, the beauty, the symbolism of these two worlds. thank you.