What happens when you move to Iran, heartland of the ` Axis of Evil`, with your family in tow?
- asks Hooman Majd, author of the acclaimed The Ayatollah Begs to Differ & The Ayatollah`s Democracy ” Welcome to Iran, ” he said. ” This isn`t Switzerl&.” We have an idea of the texture of life in Paris or Rome, but what is the texture of life like in Tehran? How do you get a driving license? Or secure an account with a discreet & reputable liquor dealer? & how on earth do you explain to an official that your son was indeed born just a month after your marriage? In The Ministry of Guidance Invites You to Not Stay, Hooman Majd introduces us to the daily delights & challenges of life in the so-called axis of evil. His funny, wry account of daily life is a mixture of extreme driving, intense sociability, yellow-tinged sheep`s yoghurt & truly good Cuban cigars, interspersed with challenges from the religious police, stealthy internet use & polite yet concerning interrogations inside government ministries. At parties he both hears stories from friends of life in Evin prison after the Green Revolution & witnesses heady Western-style nihilism. From the smoggy streets of Tehran to the beautiful cities & mountains around it, this is a warm & revealing account of life in reverse-exile. ” Fascinating”. (Independent). ”A sympathetic & nuanced picture of a complex society too often misinterpreted by the outside world”. (Telegraph). Hooman Majd was born in Tehran, Iran in 1957 & has lived in the US since 1979. He has written for numerous publications including The New Yorker, the New York Times & the Financial Times. His previous books are the New York Times bestseller The Ayatollah Begs to Differ & The Ayatollahs` Democracy. He moved to Tehran with his American wife & baby son.