Lipstick Jihad

I have to admit that when I picked this book I wasn't quite sure what it was going to be about. I knew that it was about Iran but the title sort of threw me off. I don't know if it was because they used the word "lipstick" in the title but I thought that for some reason this was going to be a book about a love story and a tale of the good things instead of the negative. However, as I read further and further into the book I realized that my positive outlook about what the book was going to be about drastically changed. I began to realize that this book was about a struggle for someone who didn't feel as though they fit in, in both America or in Iran. I never quite realized just how difficult it was for someone from Iran to come to America and really try to fit in, and the problems they would face when they moved back to their own country. It was good to see Moaveni try to ignore the fact that there were so many cultural differences between Iran and America and I liked that she did try to fit into America just as everyone else. I didn't realize sometimes how hard people like Moaveni try to fit into our culture and not stick out. It was strange to see how hard she tried to hold onto her countries traditions behind closed doors, but wherever an American might see her she would act just like everyone else. I didn't realize either how hard it must be for someone to truly know where they belong or where they fit and even if they try hard to fit into American culture, Americans do not see Iranian's like we see every other American.

This book also shed quite a light on the condition of Tehran during this time. We got a good sense of what was happening last week when we read Persepolis, but this book helped show even more of what is going on in Iran. I feel that Moaveni really wanted to show her readers what goes on in Tehran and the struggles that her and her people go through everyday. I think it would be hard for many of the people living in Iran to not live with fear everyday and even the hope that they will one day be able to leave their country and find peace. I know for many the idea of leaving their culture and the things they know is scary, but for many it is the only hope they have for feeling safe and being able to have a positive future. This was another book that simply opened my eyes to the notion that there are people out there who just want to live a normal life and not live in fear that any day something could happen to them our their loved ones. It is hard for some people to understand the identity issues as well. For those who come to America, including Moaveny, many have a hard time finding their identity and truly figuring out where they belong and what they are supposed to do in many situations. This would be hard for anyone, but when the option is either not being accepted in America, or living in fear that you will be killed each day, most would pick living in America. It is hard for me to completely understand, but from what I have learned through the books we have read this semester it seems as though things need to get much better in terms of equality than what they are right now.