Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

Sometimes I forget how great it is to be an American. Lately though, there have been a couple things that have made me remember: President Obama's innagural address and this book. I loved Obama's speech because he has so much conviction and so much hope for our country. But at the same time he didn't sugarcoat the fact that we as Americans have a lot to do to make our country great.

This book though, made me grateful for a whole other reason. I can't imagine growing up or living in a country where I can't wear makeup, nail polish, or bright colors because of a fear that I might be thrown into jail for being too suggestive. I can't imagine being told that I could not spend any time unaccompanied with a man who is not my husband or a relative. Yet that's reality for so many women in the world. It really does make me grateful to realize all the things I can do because of where I grew up. I'm currently a senior in college and I have realistic dreams about getting a Masters in Library Science and working in a library one day. I'm getting to a man who I love and who loves me. I'm able to travel where I want and when I want (as time and money permit). I have so few restrictions compared to so many women in the world today.

But this book is about so much more than one woman in Iran. It's about the power of literature in our lives. It's a great essay on why we need to read things that make us uncomfortable. We actually talked a lot about this in class today. Mormon culture especially is so afraid of anything that may challenge our faith. There are so many student protestations against books because they contain something kind of racy. Yes I know that there are some books that are purely designed to stimulate our sexual appetites (harlequin romance novels) and have no literary value(the entire Twilight series), but there is so much out there that has good literary value and will leave you with a more concrete determination to do better, and to be better yourself. You just have to have the guts to read it.