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A review by becthree
Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times by Azar Nafisi
informative
medium-paced
4.5
I received an advance copy of this book through a giveaway listed on Goodreads.
Azar Nafisi's Read Dangerously is the most thoughtful mainstream examination of literature I've read in quite a while. The book, formed out of a series of letters Nafisi wrote to her father, explores the relationship between democracy, particularly during the Trump administration, and difficult times like the current pandemic, and literature that shines a light on the flaws of the world (in this case, specifically in the US and Iran) throughout its modern history. The works mentioned in these letters run the gamut, from Plato to Margaret Atwood to Ta-Nehisi Coates and more, and through Nafisi's writing readers see how these works have reflected the times they were written in, and how one can find a personal connection to literature. As such, Nafisi has provided an excellent introduction to analyzing these great works in a thoughtful and very accessible manner; I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history or literary analysis, and will definitely be submitting it to my library's end of year best list.
Azar Nafisi's Read Dangerously is the most thoughtful mainstream examination of literature I've read in quite a while. The book, formed out of a series of letters Nafisi wrote to her father, explores the relationship between democracy, particularly during the Trump administration, and difficult times like the current pandemic, and literature that shines a light on the flaws of the world (in this case, specifically in the US and Iran) throughout its modern history. The works mentioned in these letters run the gamut, from Plato to Margaret Atwood to Ta-Nehisi Coates and more, and through Nafisi's writing readers see how these works have reflected the times they were written in, and how one can find a personal connection to literature. As such, Nafisi has provided an excellent introduction to analyzing these great works in a thoughtful and very accessible manner; I would recommend this book to anyone interested in history or literary analysis, and will definitely be submitting it to my library's end of year best list.