In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs: A Memoir of Iran

This book, set in the Islamic Republic of Iran, should be required reading for anyone hoping to understand the complexities of current events there. Leaping backward and forward in history, the author, de Bellaigue, examines 25 years of revolution, as overshadowed by centuries of political and religious conflict. The fall of the Shah, Khomeini's rise to power, and the shifting alliances after his death resolve into a new kind of monarchy that, in the opinion of de Bellaigue and those he interviews, has betrayed the Revolution. Meanwhile, his images of Tehran - the city and its people - form a dramatic mosaic as richly varied as Dickens' London. The book's title is a reference to the Iran-Iraq War, when tens of thousands of young, poorly-trained, under-equipped Iranian men gave up their lives in mostly ill-conceived and unrealistic military ventures. In the account of this decade-long bloodletting, de Bellaigue makes clear that the carnage was the result of both blind religious devotion and the utter failure of leadership. Years later, while survivors suffer respiratory failure from Saddam Hussein's use of chemical weapons, the memory of that time and the magnitude of sacrifice sadly and ironically fade. The only significant achievement of the Revolution and war with Western-backed Iraq has been a hard-won independence from foreign powers. De Bellaigue, an English journalist, casts himself as a stranger in a strange land and rarely regards anyone (there are a few remarkable exceptions) with anything but a skeptical eye. He hopes for an Iran that is true to the democratic ideals that inspired the Revolution, and he makes no secret of his contempt for Western governments that have undermined Iran's sovereignty. But the truth is elusive in this place where reality routinely takes a back seat to appearances. Whether talking to veterans of the War, the daughter of murdered dissidents, the parents of a young "martyr," or an African-American Muslim living in Iran, he illuminates his subject compellingly. I highly recommend this absorbing and well-written book.

Mr. de Bellaigue's prose is superb and he had many interesting experiences in Iran; It is obvious he wore out a lot of shoe leather writing this book. We are treated to a host of eclectic characters, from the daughter of murdered secular dissidents, to disillusioned former revolutionaries cum reformists, as well as the plight of everday Iranians who are getting by in a poorly managed, authoritarian theocracy. The problem I had with the book was Mr. de. Bellaigue's focus on seeing Iran through the lense of Shiite Islam. At one point he makes the absurd statement that "It is every Iranians' dream to go to Karballah (Iraq)". Anyone who spends more than a day in Tehran will see how hollow statements like these ring. Overall the book was very good, but if you're going to only read one book on contemporary Iran it should be Afshin Molavi's Persian Pilgrimages, which is in a class by itself.

I loved this book. It is a unique blend of history, reportage, travelogue and memoir. It is flawed, because the author's voice doesn't feel fully formed, but this hardly matters alongside the absolute gems it contains. Rivetting description of Khomeni's oratorical style, anedotes which take you right inside the head of those who were ready to martyr themselves in the war with Iraq. I was in Iran in 1987 and this is the first book I have read that answers all the questions I have carried with me since then. Furthermore, anyone who can write a line like "matchsticks marinated in Chanel" to describe the privileged young women of North Tehran has a special place in my heart. I can't wait to read his novel, for the book has "novelist waiting to burst forth" written all over it.

I ordered this book after reading Pico Iver's glowing review in the NYT. It more than lives up to the praise. de Bellaigue is a terrific writer with a painter's eye, an atist's sensibility and an investigator's tenacity. He manages to convey a sense and a feel for the place that is truly palpable, even for someone like me who's never been to Iran. The book is a memoir, a travelogue, a love story and so much more. I consider this book must reading since Iran will most likely be the next country we'll be in war with. Might as well know who the "enemy" is.

This is an honest and forthcoming account of everyday life in Iran. It is a well written and provacative look from the inside out. Well worth the time to read. Also recommended: Living Lolita In Tehran, Nightmares Echo