Carroll, Michael. From a Persian Tea House. London: Tauris Parke, 2007.
Reason read: Khomeini died in the month of June.
One of the best reasons to read From a Persian Tea House is for the cultural aspects to a society some of us will never see. Carroll humanizes the middle east in such a way we can picture dancing with the happy couple at a wedding, striving to understand how common corporal punishment and corruption can be, and of course taking tea with the locals. Having said that, it is important to keep in mind when reading From a Persian Tea House that is was written from a mid 1950s perspective, when old Iran was romanticized and equally mysterious and evocative. Carroll and his traveling companion represent a British born curiosity. They traveled in relative safety, making friends with bemused locals while making keen observations about the culture and society. My favorite parts are the descriptions of a wedding, bartering for rugs, and retrieving their own stolen items.
Author fact: Carroll (not be confused with the lottery winner who blew his millions on naked women) was born in England but spent a lot of time in India.
Book trivia: From a Persian Tea House has fantastic photographs.
Nancy said: Absolutely nada.
BookLust Twist: from Book Lust To Go in the simple chapter called “Iran” (p 108).
~*LunaSea*~ 