Rating: 
Summary: A BENEVELANT IRAN?
Review: The only reason I am giving this book 4 stars instead of 5 is that it is not an "easy" read. A good read for sure, just time consuming. Author Bird talks about Iran like it is a benign, peace loving place you should not be concerned about. I personally don't hold those views, but it is most interesting to read why the author does. In fact the reader is impressed of how the Iranians (most of 'em) love the Americans.You get a lot of interesting history and how the Iranian citizen live their daily lives. Family is truly the heart of the nation and large numbers of people participate in social events within broad family members. People help each other in many different areas and they more or less ignore the government in many ways. One weird thing is that the whole country hires "dress police" where fines and arrests occur if you do not dress properly (particularly the women)according to the government. Citizens rarely rat on each other due to the wonderful social graces of the population.
Rating: 
Summary: No disappointment here!
Review: This insightful and warmly written work was a pleasure to read, to the degree that I was sorry to have it end. The style of writing invites a cup of tea and blanket as it reads like a story rather than a strictly factual travelogue. Intelligently written, it serves to educate and enthrall the reader. This wordsmith (Bird) sent me to my dictionary several times! The people and places are so richly described and certainly come to life, so much that I would love to really know and see them. For we Americans, it is a wonderful opportunity to more fully understand the Iranian culture, and clarifies some of the differences in religions and political alliances. It gives such insight into the many stratums of their society. It gives such humanity to the Iranian people without being obsequious or naive to their faults. This would be a great choice for book clubs to read!
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