A candid memoir that offers a personal, particular perspective on life in Tehran in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
At 5, Nioucha moves with her Iranian father and French mother from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to Tehran—just three years before the revolution.
Though disoriented by the move, she quickly picks up Farsi and begins to enjoy her new life surrounded by her Iranian family. But then the Islamic Revolution breaks out and the war with Iraq commences, and Nioucha’s life changes dramatically. Dress codes are strictly enforced, there is no more learning French, schools are segregated, and police patrol the streets looking for lawbreakers—that’s life under Ayatollah Khomeini, whose version of Islam Nioucha learns is nothing like what most people practice or say of the religion. But life must go on, and so it does, but with many nights spent in the makeshift bomb shelter or sneaking around behind her parents’ backs and hoping not to get caught by the Zeinab Sisters or morals police. But one hot summer day, Nioucha is caught, taken in a black jeep to an isolated part of Tehran, and locked up in an abandoned building for disobeying the law. Dancing through time between Nioucha’s detention by the Zeinab Sisters and her experiences acclimating to Iranian culture throughout the 1980s, Homayoonfar weaves a gripping coming-of-age tale set in a fraught political era that continues to affect our world today. Family snapshots and excerpts from her diary help to ground her story.
A candid memoir that offers a personal, particular perspective on life in Tehran in the wake of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. (Memoir. 12-16)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4263-3366-8
Page Count: 160
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2019
Attractively designed and handsomely illustrated, this informative text introduces teens to many intriguing angles on a...
Will the world end in a bang or a whimper? Unless pre-empted by human-induced disaster or one of many scientifically possible catastrophic scenarios, life on Earth will end a billion years from now in a sizzle.
Predicting the end of the world is an old story, argues the author, presenting evidence in brief surveys of eschatologies from the world's major religions and mythologies of ancient civilizations. Miller also notes how end-of-world scenarios have captured humanity's imagination in their frequent appearances in science-fiction novels and motion pictures. (Disappointingly, the reasons for this ongoing fascination are not explored.) A chapter about imminent predictions for 2012 explains the Mayan prophecy and a theory about a phantom planet called Nibiru crashing into Earth. Another chapter examines pseudoscientific end-of-world theories such as planetary alignment and pole shifts. The primary focus is on scientifically plausible scenarios: self-destruction through nuclear war or continued environmental exploitation; humanity wiped out by a pandemic; an asteroid or comet strike destroying Earth.
Attractively designed and handsomely illustrated, this informative text introduces teens to many intriguing angles on a high-interest topic that should inspire many to further explore the subject. (chronology, glossary, bibliography, further reading, index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7613-7396-4
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2011
Catnip for scandal junkies, with a bit of historical perspective stirred in.
A gleefully explicit catalogue of the past century’s headline-grabbing bad behavior.
Aimed at readers who don’t need to be told who Brangelina is but may be hazy on “twisted besties” Leopold and Loeb or even Monica Lewinsky, this edutaining survey presents a wide-angle array of murders, sexual follies, controversial trials, race violence, political corruption and general envelope-pushing from the 1906 killing of Stanford White on. Each of the chronologically arranged entries opens with a capsule “Scoop” followed by a slightly fuller account under a “What Went Down” header. Along with a small black-and-white photo and one or two sidebar quotes, the author tacks on subsequent developments, sometimes-perceptive suggestions about “Why We Still Care” and a short roster of similar incidents in recent history. Though she misspells “Symbionese” and repeatedly awards FDR only three Presidential wins, in general Fryd presents reasonably accurate summaries of events and issues while giving all sides of the more muddled conflicts at least a nod. Additional cred is provided by a teen panel of editorial advisors.
Catnip for scandal junkies, with a bit of historical perspective stirred in. (index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9827322-0-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Zest/Orange Avenue
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012
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