From Miniskirt to Hijab
A Girl in Revolutionary Iran
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Potomac Books Inc
Published:1st Jan '20
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Jacqueline Saper, named after Jackie Kennedy, was born in Tehran to Iranian and British parents. As a teenager, she witnesses the civil unrest of the 1979 Iranian revolution and continued to live in the Islamic Republic during its most volatile times as well as the Iran-Iraq War. A deeply intimate and personal story, Jacqueline recounts her privileged childhood growing up in pre-revolutionary Iran and how she gradually becomes aware of the paradoxes in her life and community—primarily the disparate religions and cultures. In 1979, under the Ayatollah regime, hijab is imposed in the workplace and Iran becomes increasingly unfamiliar and hostile. Jacqueline eventually flees to America with her husband and children in 1987 after witnessing her six-year-old daughter’s indoctrination into radical Islamic politics at school. At the heart of Jacqueline’s story is a harrowing and lesson-bearing tale of how extremist ideological politics and religion gripped an increasingly Westernized, affluent country, and transformed it, unbelievably, into a fundamentalist Islamic society.
"In addition to being a memoir of resiliency and courage, From Miniskirt to Hijab offers glimpses into Iran’s history and customs, its arts and laws, how its social institutions operate, and its people think."—Fred Reiss, San Diego Jewish World
"From Miniskirt to Hijab: A Girl in Revolutionary Iran provides a memoir not just of Jacqueline Saper, but of a pivotal time in conservative Iran, and should be required reading for anyone interested in the social evolution of Iran and women's changing experiences and roles in that country."—Diane C. Donovan, Donovan’s Bookshelf
"From Miniskirt to Hijab will leave readers with the ability to understand the deeper issues related to post-revolutionary Iran. Simply put, anyone who wants to understand the human element behind American policy vis-à-vis Iran should read (and quote) this book, which should be read widely in college classrooms, among other places."—Tabby Refael, Jewish Journal
"Jacqueline Saper’s From Miniskirt to Hijab: A Girl in Revolutionary Iran is a welcome addition in the genre of memoir writing by Iranian women in diaspora."—Claudia Yaghoobi, Reading Religion
“Richly informative, From Miniskirt to Hijab captures a difficult time in Iranian history with honesty and candor. Saper demonstrates her love for the country of her birth while realistically discussing some of the challenges confronting a non-Shiite in a very conservative society.”—Mateo Mohammad Farzaneh, associate professor of history at Northeastern Illinois University and author of The Iranian Constitutional Revolution and the Clerical Leadership of Khurasani
“From Miniskirt to Hijab is a deeply moving memoir that vividly details the struggle of human life—both collective and individual—under authoritarian rule. Saper’s insightful and compelling narrative is extraordinary in its use of personal perspective to mourn the rapid loss of Iran’s once progressive society. This book is both an important historical account and a cautionary tale, a poignant reminder of the devastating impact an unchecked regime has on its unwilling participants.”—Bardia Fard, chapter president of the Iranian-American Bar Association
“From Miniskirt to Hijab is the best book yet to explain the contrast of life under the rule of the Shah versus that of the Ayatollahs. Saper is uniquely able to articulate the underlying dynamic of Iran’s sudden rejection of a Western culture that was idealized for years before 1979. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the causes of turmoil in one of the most volatile regions of the world.”—Bobak Kalhor, director and producer of A Dying King: The Shah of Iran
ISBN: 9781640121171
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
232 pages