Are there specific people to whom you'd recommend this book? Who would enjoy reading it, and who should read it?

Are there specific people to whom you'd recommend this book? Who would enjoy reading it, and who should read it?

I'm not sure I'd classify it as "an enjoyable read." It would be a positive for any book club to discuss. It's always good for someone to learn about another culture and what they value.

It wasn’t an easy book to read, but any book club could take on the task with many discussions. I would not recommend this book for middle school bookclub so but I can see this book being used by literary clubs in high schools. It definitely sets the record straight about the differences between middle eastern cultures and the US.

I would recommend this book to readers that enjoyed The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini and anyone that loves to learn about other cultures and customs. Not an easy read but an important book to read.

I would not recommend this book to any friends. Maybe we all "should" read & know about this, but it was just so very sad and difficult. I could see it in a very serious book club though.

I have several friends who I would not recommend this book for because it was so sad, but I think it appeals to people interested in other cultures. I think all Americans should read this, or books like this, in order to show us how good we really have it here in the United States.

In my book group I have readers who are very open to reading cross cultural literature, to understand that the world is made up of many points of view. They want to understand the lived experience of individuals. I think they would have compassion for the stateless Kurdish people, their struggle and the horror of discrimination against dissident voices.

I think people who hold public office like our senators and representatives and even the President should read it. I also think that books like this should be read by people who want to become journalists.

This book would be perfect for book clubs that are interested in Social Justice, immigration experiences and cultural diversity. I also think it’s great that it was written by a Kurdish women who herself immigrated with family from Iran. There is so much to discuss that it would engage intense conversations on the multiple subjects in a book club situation!

I would also recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand social justice issues. To continue learning about some of the cultural issues related to women, restrictions, and secret police, you might want to read Daring to Drive by Manal al-Sharif. While not about the Kurds, it is a true story set in Saudi Arabia. I feel that by reading different books with similar themes, my understanding increases.

It is not an enjoyable or easy book to read and at this particular time most people are looking for something lighter to take their minds off of the everyday world news. However, there are book clubs that specifically read and discuss history and culture studies. I can also see this as part of a High School World History class. The class could be separated into groups and each group assigned a different book to read and then report back to the class. That way they would be learning about several cultures.

I don't think most people would want to read such a depressing story but anyone who would like to be informed about the plight of the Kurds in Iran, this would give them a true picture.

I will recommend this book to one of my Book Clubs. We focus on a variety of books, and establish next year's monthly calendar at this time., then vote on it. I will include this book in the suggested reading. We often discuss these types of books, and how they relate to what is happening in our own country.

I strongly believe that this is a very important book and ought to be read widely. As a global society and one in which the Middle East plays such a strong part, it behooves us to learn what we can to try to better understand what we read and hear about on a daily basis. I would and will recommend this book broadly.

This would make an excellent book club read. It made me want to do more research into Kurdish people. I think people that like to read books about the Middle East would get a lot out of this one.

The entire book should be flagged with trigger warnings for readers who cannot tolerate despondency, war tactics, suicidal thoughts and actions, and/or explicit descriptions of physical violence. However, readers should also be prepared to fully connect with characters who show a tremendous will to survive finding ways to create lives filled with integrity, cultural pride and a belief in attaining happiness without denying heritage. Many of my reader friends prefer books with "happy endings" and do not enjoy stressful plots making this selection a definite NO on their reading list. I did already recommend this book to a friend who is fascinated with the strength of women who overcome oppressive situations. I also think this selection should be read by high school students and certainly university students with an international studies interest.