One is often bombarded with the "party line" viz a viz Iran in the western media surfacing a healty dose of skepticism.

However, after reading this book the skepticism is unwarranted. A noted judge turned journalist and nobel peace prize winner takes us behind the "veil" of Iran.

She touches our hearts with graphic stories of torture, executions, rapes and ridiculous intrepretations of sharia law. At points in the books I was boiling with anger at how unjustly ordinary citizens of this country are treated in the name of Islam, particularly women and children. Yet, amongst this oppression we see humanity fortitude and courage from the least likely places slowly but surely changing the regime, in which the clergy is all powerful.

The single greatest revelation in the book is the true power and abuse of power the clergy have in the life of any Muslim. The West has very little understanding of how Muslims are oppressed and controlled by the clergy and their henchmen. Dissent is equivalent to blasphemy which is punished severely, usually by torture rape then death.

The author gives hope to all Iranian and Muslims and serves as a role model for all intellectual Muslims, women and men alike.

This is an interesting book that will give you an insight into Iranian people's lives, as seen by a smart and courageous woman, a real fighter for freedom and democracy.

You will be shocked at hearing some accounts of everyday life and will think that it is outrageous how the basic human rights are being denied to people. Rules of common sense are not respected in the name of Islam.

I admire a lot Ms. Ebadi's courage to write such a story and make her voice heard internationally. I am sure she must have upset lots of people in the government by publishing this book. (Don't forget that she still lives in Iran)

But I will also say that I did not like very much her criticism towards so many Iranians who left the country in the '90s. People can choose where they want to live. If they are not happy and don't agree with a certain system, I think it is laudable that they fight for freedom and better conditions. I don't consider leaving your country an act of cowardice, as much as I don't consider fighting for democracy in Iran, a pointless thing.

If you are interested more into reading about Iran's history or politics, Iran Awakening will not help much: it only mentions the main historical events, such as the coup d'etat in 1953, the 1979 Islamic Revolution, etc. They are used just to set in time the stories. If that is case, you might want to consider other books.
But if you would only like a light reading into Iran and the living style, then buy this one.

I cannot think of a 20th century revolution that has worked out. Russia, China, Cuba, Iran. It's hard to determine which populace lost the most in the glorious promise, but a strong case can be made that it is the women of Iran.

Shirin Ebadi's quest for justice is all the harder because most of those who had the intelligence and skills to help, having seen the writing on the wall, left. She illustrates her sadness through her greatly diminished address book. While not the only one who stayed to work from within, Ebaid is one of the few effective ones on behalf of women and children. She does this while keeping house and preparing meals while her husband, who seems to have a 9-5 job, swims laps at the gym.

I knew of the Shah's extravagant life style and the poverty of the people. I knew of his 2500 year bash, I didn't know it cost $300 million. I knew that women could drive and girls could go to school in Iran, but not that the legitimacy the Islamic govt. conferred on female education (and the resulting segregation of the sexes) provided an impetus for families to actually avail their daughters of this right, not universally exercised under the shah.

I learned something about how the Iranian regime "disappears" people, and the semblance of a legal system through which relatives attempt to to get justice. Getting justice could ruin you. In paying for the perpetrator's execution, you may have to sell your house. (Why does it cost that much to shoot someone?)

The reception to the news of her winning the Nobel Prize alerts us to the importance attached to international recognition by ordinary citizens. This popularity will get Ebadi a better jail cell but put her daughters at risk.

The legal trench work she does is long, painstaking and dangerous. To a westerner, victories are terribly small for the effort and risk... such is the world she lives in.

The text is amazingly free of rancour. There are many opportunities for cheap shots, but this is not the character of this author.

Ebadi, through her choices, demonstrates her patriotism. It is not clear if the "awakening" in the title refers to the legal victories she has achieved, the young people who desire greater liberties, the changes wrought by women becoming educated or the growing influence of Iran in world events. Whatever she means by it, it's clear that she has optimism, spirit and hope.

There is so much to be learned from this book. It is a history lesson of Iran. It provides a window into Koranic teachings and Islamic law. "In Islam, there exists a tradition of intellectual interpretation and innovation known as 'ijtihad', practiced by jurists and clerics over the centuries to debate the meaning of Koranic teachings as well as their application to modern ideas and situations. Sunni Islam effectively closed the door to 'ijtihad' several centures back, but in Shia Islam, the process and spirit of 'ijtihad' thrive."

As Shirin Ebadi recounts her life in Iran, I read in fascination how changes in culture and rules and regulations were accepted by the population as they happened, possibly because they were gradual and possibly because it is human nature to think things are going to change for the better. It seems it is hard to imagine the worse outcome until it is too late. Maybe this should be a lesson that should be heeded as freedoms are being eroded in this country?

The Epilogue was the section that frustrated and outraged me personally. Ebadi was prevented from publishing her memoir in the United States due to a Treasury Department ruling that regulated the import of books from Iran and other embargoed counties. She refused to use her status as a Nobel Peace Prize winner to get special permission and fought for "the right and responsibility of the American public to hear from voices around the world" and for writers and scholars "turned away by journals and publishers out of fear of the Treasury Department's regulations". Ebadi sued the Treasury Department and on December 16, 2004, the regulations were revised.

"In the long and violent history of our two countries, the Treasury Department's revision is a modest step, but its symbolic value is of great encouagement to me. Is it not remarkable, in the end, that an Iranian woman living in her home country could have led to the effort that made the U.S. government's practices more just? It was a victory I took back to Iran and spoke of frequently, for its instructiveness as we look forward. It allowed me to contradict what has become a political truism in the rhetoric of the Islamic Republic, that America understands only the language of force. Bellicosity and brinkmanship are what have brought us to where we stand now, but they remain ingrained habits for both sides. We many need a horizon of decades to wear down the present monolith of mistrust. But such small steps remind us that by using the political process to change each other's postions, our fates can be intertwined in ways that are fruitful."

Ebadi teaches us that the first step in solving problems is information and communication. The harder step is standing firm on principles. Most important is refusing to leave the battle and speaking out with the strongest voice you can. She is to be greatly admired and should be assisted in her battle by spreading the word about this book.