Reading might not seem the most obvious of radical acts – but in Read Dangerously, Iranian-American writer Azar Nafisi shows that it can be. Drawing on her experiences of living in the Islamic Republic of Iran and in today’s America, and citing authors as diverse as Plato, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood and Elliot Ackerman, the bestselling writer of Reading Lolita in Tehran illustrates how literature can counter oppression. An erudite, accessible and inspiring book.
Read Dangerously by Azar Nafisi, (List Price: $26.99, Dey Street Books, 9780062947369, March 2022)
Reviewed by Jude Burke-Lewis, Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi