Persia is my heart
Persia is my heart
- January 12, 2016
- An essay by Roxanne Varzi, anthropology associate professor, is featured by Books Combined
From Books Combined:
My mother used to say that I wouldn’t exist if it hadn’t been for a book my aunt suggested
she read back in 1965. My aunt at the time was in Afghanistan where my uncle was a
U.S. diplomat. The book, Persia is my Heart, written by Najmeh Najafi with the help
of Helen Hinckley is a beautiful story of discovery and enterprise, about a young
Iranian woman who comes to the Pasadena, CA in the 50’s where she learns about mass
production and management. She returns to Iran and sets up the first all female factory
in an Iranian village. A bold move for an Iranian woman in 1950s Iran and a story
that especially appealed to my mother, who had her own difficulties as a female chemist
in 1960s America. My mother read the book, applied for a Fulbright to Iran, married
an Iranian and soon after I entered the world. [Roxanne Varzi is an Associate Professor
in the Department of Anthropology at the University of California, Irvine. Her latest
book is Last Scene Underground: An Ethnographic Novel of Iran (Stanford University
Press, 2015).]
For the full story, please visit http://bookscombined.com/2016/01/04/persia-is-my-heart/.
Share on:
Related News Items
- Roxanne Varzi, anthropologist, author of "Death in a Nutshell" with a dyslexic mystery heroine
- I Dig UCI
- "Death In a Nutshell" in the Armchair Anthropology Series
- Women's History Month: Local films and Hollywood blockbusters at LB Cultural Arts Center set to spur post-show dialogues and discussions
- Why should you keep a lucky frog in your home, according to feng shui
connect with us