Iran and the Middle East |
All Things Literary |
Six Books to Get Your Head Inside IranDecember 5, 2011
Want to get the inside skinney on Iran? Here are six books to get you there. First, not surprisingly, is The House That War Minister Built. Learn that what really goes on in the harem is not sex, but intrigue. See how modern Persians reconcile their legacy from Cyrus the Great, conqueror and... Ex-CIA Director: Dark Choices Loom on IranSeptember 9, 2011
Gen. Michael Hayden in an interview with the Wall Street Journal warns that Iranian nuclear proliferation is approaching a danger point and the US is faced with only two options, both bad. However, if the Arab spring tells us anything it’s that reform can come from within. Yes, it can productively be encouraged and or... So why not Iran too and every other tin horn dictatorship?May 17, 2011
In a deceptively fawning article in Newsweek, A.Q. Khan, the father of the Pakistan bomb, embraces classic Orwellian doublespeak starting right out with the title, “I Saved My Country From Nuclear Blackmail.” Immediately there follows the boot-licking subtitle, “The ‘father’ of the Pakistani bomb on why we shouldn’t be afraid.” Khan then praises the... Obama kow tows to Big OilMay 14, 2011
President Obama in his weekly radio address said he wants to promote more oil exploration in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. If he wants to cave into conservative cries of, “Drill, baby! Drill!” he could do so in a way that would actually help the economy. Big Oil begs for more oil exploration rights every... Why Iranian Mothers are Superior: their kids do betterMay 11, 2011
Why Iranian mothers are superior. By Elahe Talieh Dayton, Ph.D. and Andrew Imbrie Dayton, M.D., Ph.D. So, you think raising children by manipulation, discipline and humiliation will create a race of uber achievers rejoicing at the contemplation of their own transcendence? Consider this: arguably the most successful immigrant group in the United States is the... Salman Rushdie’s jingoistic solution for Pakistan – maybe he should stick to writing novels.May 3, 2011
In the Daily Beast, Salman Rushdie lambasts Pakistan for knowingly harboring Bin Laden and other anti-western terrorists as well as anti-Indian jihadist groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad.* He points out that Pakistan has been playing a double game for many years, largely because, “India, as always Pakistan’s unhealthy obsession … Pakistan is... Hey, Karzai, be careful what you ask for!April 27, 2011
In today’s Wall Street Journal Matthew Rosenberg reports that, “Pakistan is lobbying Afghanistan’s president against building a long-term strategic partnership with the U.S., urging him instead to look to Pakistan—and its Chinese ally—for help in striking a peace deal with the Taliban and rebuilding the economy, Afghan officials say.” Personally I think this is... Polygamy research with an attitude.April 1, 2011
In an opinion piece in today’s Wall Street Journal, Rose McDermott, a professor at Brown, decries the sins of polygamy. Polygamy certainly has its detractions and certainly can be misused and turn oppressive (so can monogamy), but the practice of polygamy by no means causes, “higher rates of HIV infection … more domestic violence,... What if?March 29, 2011
In an OP-ED piece in today’s Wall Street Journal Michael Oren, Israeli ambassador to the US, makes the point that in the face of a real or implied threat of military intervention by the US, a “rogue” nuclear power should find it more secure to abandon nuclear weapons, rather than develop them. He further... Sadamed if you do, Sadamed if you don’tMarch 15, 2011
Iran is happy to cast the US as a colonial evil seeking to take advantage of revolution in Libya to grab more oil while they (the Iranian leadership) voice support for the Libyan rebels (conveniently ignoring the oppressiveness of their own leadership and the internal opposition to it). Since the US loses this skirmish... |
The House That War Minister BuiltSeptember 15, 2011
Available September 20th: Hardback at Amazon & Barnes & Noble online. ebook: Kindle & Nook. See reviews of The House That War Minister Built at http://www.thehousethatwarministerbuilt.com Books about IranJune 8, 2011
Non fiction: Garden of the Brave in War, Recollections of Iran, by Terrence O’Donnell - Far and away the most evocative and charming memoirs of Iran. Blood and Oil, Memories of a Persian Prince, by Manucher Farmanfarmaian and Roxane Farmanfarmaian - An insider’s view of modern Iranian history through the prism of oil politics. One of... Female PornographyMay 19, 2011
Apparently romance novels are the female version of pornography. Men want to get right to the point (no pun intended) and stampede towards the clitoris. Women only want to see men going through violent internal emotional struggles to make themselves worthy of their beloved. Sound familiar? This has three major consequences for Western civilization:... Wolf Hall – riveting & illustrativeFebruary 13, 2011
I just finished Wolf Hall the other day and I had to ask myself why I had kept reading. There were over ninety characters. It was often hard to figure out who was doing the talking and who was doing the thinking. Small drama after small drama leaped out of nowhere. But the narrative... Author Q & AFebruary 13, 2011
Below we reproduce an interview by Octavio Books editor, Dan Fleuris: Q: Well, I’ll start with the obvious question: what led you to write War Minister? A: (Andrew) If I can answer first: Elahe and I met in 1976, and for thirty-four years now, she and her family – particularly her late father – have regaled... The House That War Minister Built: What’s it about?February 13, 2011
What is it like to be a child with four mothers? Or to be just one of many wives, owned by a powerful husband? How do you embrace life, when behind the body of every promise lurks the shadow of a conspiracy? An epic odyssey through twentieth century Iran, The House That War Minister Built explores... |
For those of you who missed the airings, the interview by WYSO host Vick Mickunas can be found at the following link: http://www.wyso.org/post/book-nook-house-war-minister-built-andrew-imbrie-dayton-and-elahe-talieh-dayton
After a busy fall with appearances in Washington, DC, Frederick, MD, Berkeley, San Francisco San Jose, Los Angeles and New York, we’re taking it down south: Houston, February 22 , 2011 7:00 PM Barnes & Noble River Oaks (2030 West Gray) – afterwards we will congregate at the nearby restaurant La Griglia (2002...