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There are currently 39 member reviews
for In the Time of Our History
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Tonyia R. (Hillsborough, NJ)
What happen to the exiles after the Shah left Iran?
All I knew about this this time of history, is that the Shah and his family left Iran, and were the last monarchy exiled from the country. The US government and allies had help keep him in power with resentment from those who were not benefiting from the wealth and opportunities that many affluent and educated Iranians enjoyed. It was also the time when President Jimmy Carter had to deal with the Iranian Crisis as he lost the presidential race to Ronald Regan. And the Iranian government invited the Ayatollah to return to Iran after he was exiled from Iran for making negative remarks about the Shah and his government policies.
I never thought much about the people who were exiled from Iran. The families, teachers, engineers, and their children. The only people I knew who left Iran were Persians, Parses who immigrated to India to escape religious persecution from Muslims. Another time in our history. Many migrated to the US as movie stars and entertainers. And it wasn't for many novels of Thrity Umbrigar, I would even know little about Parsi Indian culture and difference between Hindu and Islamic Indians. So this was delightful read.
Come and meet the Jehanni family, Iranian-Americans who were exiled from Iran and escaped back to the US. Read the facets of their lives, their experiences during this time in history of history. You will be pleasantly surprised and pleased. It is wonderful to expand your knowledge about people who live around you in the world, and even in your community that is different than your own. And you cannot learn about this in a text book or in the news. One must read good literature as Susanne Pari's novel.
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Karen S. (Allston, MA)
Interesting Iranian family struggling just like us, yet in their own way
This is a very readable book from a wonderful storyteller. Although this book tells the story of an Iranian family in the US, pre 9/11, the themes are familiar and somewhat cross cultural: gender stereotypes held and shattered, traditions and transition to a new culture, traditions that hide and cover abuse, the role of "protectors" in families and communities. I found it easy to empathize with a number of the characters, despite their shortcomings. A few characters and relationships seemed to be less developed and more about them would have enriched the story.
A good read and I will look for Pari's earlier work. I would recommend to readers who are interested in Iranian culture in the US and those who like stories about interesting families.
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Joyce W. (Rochester, MN)
People are the same everywhere
This book is well written and is in story form which educates as well as entertains. The author uses a different culture to show how people are so similar even coming from another part of the world. There is still a mixture of kind and cruel people as well as conservatives and liberals. There are those who are open to change and those who want everything to remain the same. The interaction of family dynamics is the same everywhere. This is a very good book for discussions and I recommend it to book clubs.
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Sally H. (Homosassa, FL)
In the Time of our History
This book bogged down a bit for me in the beginning (and that could have been me), but once it took off it was hard to put down. Susanne Pari covers topics that are familiar to many families: children rebelling against parental expectations, 'good' girls or boys who morph into different personas to keep the peace and please their families while still being true to who they are and what they want; and people whose perceptions of themselves are incredibly flawed. Interwoven with these are issues unique to immigrants, and especially to immigrants from patriarchal cultures that have traditions completely foreign to natives of the U.S. In the Time of our History will appeal to book clubs, lovers of family sagas, and readers who enjoy expanding their horizons and experiencing other cultures.
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Stephanie K. (Glendale, AZ)
This Book Appeals to Anyone With a Family
The Jahani family, exiles from the Ayatollah's Iran truly is Every Family, foreign-born or not. This would be an excellent novel for book clubs to discuss, and simply for individual readers to ponder, how we end up and stay in or leave the families we originate in. I didn't want to leave the Jahanis but instead wanted to keep on reading about their many adventures and misadventures. They represent not only Iranians trying to make their way in life, but all of us as we bumble through indelicately. The Jahanis demonstrate that we are all exiles in one way or another, but we march on regardless.
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Esther L. (Newtown, PA)
Wonderful
Thank you to BookBrowse for offering me the chance to preview this wonderful new book. The book arrived with two gifts from the author and publisher…two specialty flavored tea bags and a small enameled pomegranate. What a nice surprise!
In the Time of Our History is a story about the Johani family, Iranian immigrants living in America in the late 1990s. The overbearing and traditional father, the silent, suffering and submissive mother, one rebellious daughter and one good daughter. The book offers several chapters beginning with the words "In the time of our history", showing characters early lives and culture. A nice addition to the current narrative.
I will recommend this book to my book club! Lots to talk about and enjoy together.
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Portia Asher
An Unexpected Pleasure
I didn’t know what to expect when I received this book. I was pleasantly surprised to find myself thoroughly involved in the plot.
(I’ll not reprise the book, as it has already been done).
Might I just suggest that the writing is excellent and you would read an interesting and absorbing story…
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