Many thanks to my friends at @tlcbooktours and @blairpublishing for the #gifted copy of this book.  

 

Ghazirad’s debut is a beautiful, complex, and timely coming of age story.  

 

As a six-year-old girl, Moji longed for bedtime.  The stories her grandfather told -- about a woman’s determination to change her destiny and fight for survival -- easily took root in Moji’s heart.  As she matured, those stories would feel resonate of her own journey.  

 

Semi-autobiographical in nature, Ghazirad weaves memories of her childhood into the fictional storyline of Moji, a young girl coming of age amidst the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

 

Ghazirad well depicts the emotional challenges of a girl growing up in an authoritarian society rife with violence.  Female youth and enthusiasm face a potent battle against paternalistic ideology.  

 

With an adolescence shaped by political turmoil, Moji finds solace in One Thousand and One Nights, the stories her grandfather once regaled at bedtime. Much more than entertainment, the tales play a vital role in her development and provide a tool for her survival.  

 

I won’t soon forget Moji and her journey to find herself in such an oppositional place and time.  

 

🕊️ Of note:  With the world in such a heartbreaking and complex place right now, I felt a bit of hesitation as I started this book.  But I found hope within its pages.  Watching Moji overcome her circumstances reminded me that even in the most trying times, humanity overcomes.