Iran is a long story. It has a complicated history and an old culture. It has a seasoned people whose boldness has grown out of the tragedies they have survived. Contradictions run deep and meet their match only in perseverance. Untangling the strands of this story is as daunting an undertaking as it is compelling.

— From the Preface

The most recent chapter in the story of Iran is the uprising of 2009. This book is an account of the years that culminated in the uprising. It records the darkness of the thirty years since the revolution as well as the creative intelligence, long forced underground, that ushers in brighter days.

The articles in this collection depict some of the tragedies, defeats, triumphs and ironies of this time. They offer glimpses into many facets of Iranian society with its complexities and contradictions.

• War, terror, change, and secular culture forced underground.
• Dissent and Iran’s irrepressible women.
• Misrepresentations of Iran in the west and the world context in which Iran’s intelligentsia views itself.
• Disruption and continuity in the lives of Iranians inside and outside the country.
• The ongoing perils of intellectual pursuit.
• And, ultimately, the independent spirit, seasoned eye, and sharp wit of Iranians in their continuing struggle for autonomy and freedom.

Excerpts

Preface
From “Smoldering in Traffic”
From “Returning to Iran”
From “Kashf-e Hejab”