Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran

Elaine Sciolino's  Persian Mirrors: The Elusive Face of Iran  is the fascinating account of an American journalist in revolutionary Iran that covers from its earliest beginnings in 1979, when this young correspondent for Newsweek traveled to Tehran with the Ayatollah Khomeini on his return from exile, through the new millennium and the fight for the country's future that is going on today, as a journalist for the New York Times. I thoroughly enjoyed her perspective of the unique role of Iranian women in the revolution that ran through this fascinating story, a viewpoint that I had never picked up on in other books about Iran or the Persian people. I wasn't aware of the influence that the Persian poets had on these people either, even though I had somehow, by instinct I guess, prefaced my own story about Iran with a passage from  The Rubayyat of Omar Khayyam .While I wrote my adventure from memories of working in Tehran in 1971 and I created its events from facts in today's headlines, my research was limited to filling in a few blanks only. I'm just sorry that I didn't discovered Ms. Sciolino's book sooner, because she really presents her readers with some wonderful perspectives of Iran's origins and provides you with a true understanding and appreciation for the passions of these proud people. From my own brief experiences in Iran, I perceived the Persians to be a great source of strength that could help bring peace and stability to the Middle East. Sciolino reinforces this and the existence of their democratic ideals and leanings, which are not so different from our own. As she notes, this is not a book about the mysteries of the East. Rather you will find that it is an intimate portrait of the spirit and the soul of a nation. I for one have found 'Mirrors' to be a treasure trove of information, particularly for anyone who wishes to understand more about Iran. The depth of her research is apparent with the more that one hundred books on Iran and the Middle East that are included it the bibliography. She is also the author of  The Outlaw State: Saddam Hussein's Quest for Power and the War in the Gulf . She is currently the Paris Bureau Chief for the New York Times.Bob Magnant is the author of  The Last Transition...  - the ultimate Internet adventure - a fact-based novel about Iran.

A little tedious. Had it been 50-100 pages shorter, the book would have been a classic. You do come away with the reasons why Iran is so difficult to understand: no one there does or knows what Persia should be when it grows back up.

Really enjoyed the historical backing and interpersonal discussions. Bringing the various perspectives of citizens, government workers, and scholars as well as patriots and expatriates made for very interesting reading.

Excellent first hand look at Iran from an American woman's point of view. Lots of good insight

I enjoyed the author's first-hand accounts of her reporter's experiences in Iran-almost up-to-date!written 15 years ago-is this what it will be like in another 15 years?? after the nuclear deal??? r will a new generation of Iranians welcome western ideas (again)????

The best book on Iran.Excellent in every respect.

Such great reading!

I would appreciated this book a lot more had it not be so detailed in the machinations of the governance of the country. As a result it became tedious and complex.Nevertheless I applaud Elaine Sciolino for the thorough research and involvement with the citizenry at great risks.