Cbr17bingo Culture (would also fit diaspora)
Perhaps you have seen this meme recently — a row of eight women wearing western fashions in the 1970s in Iran. These women were members of Parliament, but by the end of the decade, revolution forced Iranian women out of public life and back into traditional garb, covered from head to toe, and subject to punishment for exercising their rights.
I’m old enough to remember when the Shah went into exile and the Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran to rule a theocratic Islamic state. Americans at the US Embassy in Tehran were taken hostage not long afterward. In The Lion Women of Tehran, author Marjan Kamali takes readers back to Iran in the 1950s (as she did with The Stationary Shop) and 1960s, and shows us the roots of that repression. Through the story of two girls’ friendship, the reader sees the economic disparity and growing political unrest that the Shah’s token reforms could not stave off. She also shows us the tenacity and resilience of those who fought then and still fight now for democracy and personal freedom in Iran.
The novel opens in New York City in 1980. Elaheh, aka Ellie, an Iranian emigre who lives there with her husband, has received a letter from an old friend in Iran. This is a friend from whom she has been estranged for years but whom she misses terribly. We learn that there is some secret, some incident in their past that has separated them and that Ellie is very nervous about the whole situation.
The story then turns into a flashback about Ellie and her best friend Homa. Ellie and Homa were 7 when they first met in 1950 at school. Ellie and her mother had recently moved from their mansion in an affluent neighborhood to a grittier part of Tehran. Ellie’s father died, and her mother has no one to help her. Ellie’s mother is a rather vain, self absorbed woman who likes to brag about her noble lineage and wants to keep Ellie away from the riffraff of their new neighborhood. Homa is the daughter of a waiter who later ends up imprisoned for being a communist. Ellie’s mother doesn’t like Homa and will not even let the girl or her family inside their home. Ellie, however, loves Homa’s family. Homa has a loving mother who doesn’t nitpick and criticize her appearance; she has siblings; and her family enjoys spending time together. Ellie is a bit jealous, but she truly loves Homa, who is loud, funny and smart. Even in childhood Homa is dreaming big, about going to law school and becoming a judge. As a result of this friendship with Homa, Ellie becomes a better student and also starts thinking about a future that maybe would go beyond the traditional “get married and have babies” scenario. Homa opens up a new world for Ellie.
Unfortunately for Ellie, after a few years her mother remarries and takes her back to the wealthy part of town. As Ellie grows up, she and her wealthy friends are all about clothes and parties. While Ellie attends a prestigious girls high school where many will move on to college, she really just wants to get to know a boy named Mehrdad. Then, quite unexpectedly, a new girl transfers to their school — Homa. The story of the relationship between Ellie and Homa in their high school and university years (1960s) is where class and political differences really come to the fore. The two girls are devoted friends, but there are some startling differences between them. Ellie is more cautious, insecure and traditional than Homa. Homa is a self-proclaimed communist, and she has no interest in marriage or children. What we learn is that even in the 1960s, although there had been some breakthroughs in areas like women’s rights, Iran could still be repressive. The Shah’s secret police had been rounding up communists and others who were perceived as enemies of the regime since 1953. That was the year that the democratically elected prime minister Mosaddegh was removed from office in a coup and the Shah, with US backing, took over. Homa is an activist who is constantly organizing and demonstrating, while Ellie feels that positive change is actually happening in Iran and things aren’t so bad. Homa does point out to Ellie that for Ellie and her family, that might be true, but for others, life is very different.
Despite their differences, Ellie and Homa are fast friends until something happens. I won’t reveal what happens, but Ellie, afterward, feels that everything is her fault. She feels terrible guilt that there is a chasm between her and Homa. Author Kamali gives the reader both Ellie’s and Homa’s perspective on those tumultuous years and their experience of them. Eventually, life takes Ellie to the US for what is supposed to be a 2-year research project for her husband, but the Islamic Revolution prevents their return. It is while living in New York that Ellie learns some startling truths from both her mother and Homa. She has to do some soul searching and challenge herself to live up to the standards that she has set for herself but not always met.
This is a really well written novel and has a lot to teach the reader about modern Iran, its history and its people. Homa is a really admirable character, a genuine “lion woman” who refuses to backdown from the fight for what is right. The Lion Women of Tehran is an inspiring story and a cautionary tale for those of us living in a world where women’s rights and basic human rights are eroding daily.