A review by crafalsk264
Read Dangerously: The Subversive Power of Literature in Troubled Times by Azar Nafisi

challenging informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.75

 Azar Nafisi is a daughter of two Iranian scholars and grew up with a special relationship with her father, a former mayor of Tehran who she calls “Baba.”  As a writer and professor of English literature, she has sought to link books and reading to understanding culture, politics and issues affecting people’s lives. In this book, Nafisi has composed a series of letters (chapters) written to her deceased father discussing how her love of reading, that he ignited in her as a girl, has served her in dealing with the tumultuous life she led in Iran, as an immigrant to the US and an author/scholar. In five chapters she looks to writers who have influenced her and helped her develop a view of conflict, resistance and trauma that serves her well. Referring to authors such as Rushdie, Plato, Bradbury, Hurston, Morrison, Grossman, Ackerman, Khoury, Atwood, Baldwin and Coates, Nafisi uses their writing to explore how to cope with an uncertain world. 

The form of letters to her deceased father was very effective. The book read like a conservation with a learned friend. Her conviction that reading is an essential part of being an informed citizen in a democracy is thought provoking and intelligent. This is a plea for the reader to use insights and understanding in their judgement of events and affairs affecting their daily lives. I think I will return to this book occasionally. It is hopeful and believes in the best of people while offering a way to understand and handle differences. Highly recommend to readers of books-about-books, politics, essays, memoirs and social justice.