Books about Iran
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 the best insights you can get into oil politics and how they influenced Iran
In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs, by Christopher de Bellaigue - These memoirs by a Westerner capture much of the spirit of the East in their style.
Bridge of Turquoise, by Roloff Beny, with forward by Seyyed Hossein Nasr - A coffee table book of stunning photographs of Iran. Includes an interesting essay by Nasr on Iranian history, religion and culture.
All the Shah’s Men, by Stephen Kinzer – A knowledgeable, suspenseful account of the 1953 CIA-backed coup that toppled the elected government of Mossadegh.
Iran and the Rise of Reza Shah, from Qajar Collapse to Pahlavi Power, by Cyrus Ghani - A well-researched, in depth history of the political events and personalities of the late Qajar to early Pahlavi period.
The Persian Sphinx, Amir Abbas Hoveyda and the Riddle of the Iranian Revolution, by Abbas Milani - A biography of one of the most powerful politicians under the last Shah
What Went Wrong, The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle Ease, by Bernard Lewis – A thoughtful analysis by one of America’s foremost experts on the Middle East.
Daughter of Persia, A Woman’s Journey from her Father’s Harem Through the Islamic Revolution, by Sattareh Farmanfarmaian - Memoirs of a female member of Iran’s most famous family
The Iranians, Persia, Islam and the Soul of a Nation, by Sandra Mackey - A Middle East expert’s summary of ancient and modern history and culture
The Blindfold Horse, Memoirs of a Persian Childhood, by Shusha Guppy - Memories of a privileged, intellectual childhood in pre-revolutionary Iran
A Year Amongst the Persians, by Edward G. Browne - Journals of a famous Middle East expert traveling Iran 1887-1888
Iran, a Country Study, edited by Richard F. Nyrop - One of a continuing series of books written by Foreign Areas Studies, The American University, under the Area Handbook Program
Essential Sufism, edited by James Fadiman & Robert Frager
Zoroastrians, Their Religious Beliefs and Practices, by Mary Boyce - Zoroastrianism was Iran’s original religion, and is still practiced.
Lipstick Jihad, A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America and American in Iran, by Azadeh Moaveni - Insight into cultural strains between the traditional and the modern in Iran. It’s chicklit, but illuminating & actually enjoyable.
Persian Girls, a Memoir, by Nahid Rachlin
Nine Parts of Desire, the Hidden World of Islamic Women, by Geraldine Brooks
Persian Mirrors, the Elusive Face of Iran, by Elaine Sciolini - A western journalist’s coverage of Iranian culture and events from Khomeini’s revolution through ~2000.
Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies, Iran, the U.S., and the Twisted Path to Confrontation, by Barbara Slavin - US/Iranian geopolitics in the late twentieth century.
Reading Lolita in Tehran, by Azar Nafisi - Wonderful insights into every day life in post revolutionary Iran
Things I’ve Been Silent About: Memories of a Prodigal Daughter, by Azar Nafisi - One woman’s dysfunctional family life in Iran. Of course, it’s not just any woman, but the author of Reading Lolita in Tehran. It was published after most of The House That War Minister Built was completed, but it is valuable in that it goes behind the surface of political upheavals and examines Iranian home life behind the façade of political theater.
Funny in Farsi, a Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America, by Firoozeh Dumas
Tales of Two Cities, a Persian Memoir, by Abbas Milani
Inside Iran, Life Under Khomeini’s Regime, by John Simpson
Then They Came for Me: a Family’s Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival by Maziar Bahari. The true story of journalist Maziar Bahari’s torture and imprisonment in Tehran’s infamous Evin prison for the crime of honest reporting on the fraudulent 2009 election.
Fiction:
In the Walled Gardens, by Anahita Firouz
My Uncle Napoleon, by Iraj Pezeshkzad, Translated by Dick Davis - A comic, farcical novel hugely popular in Iran in the 1970s, eventually turned into a television sitcom. Wonderful example of Iranian sense of humor.