Our Traveling Shelf discussion

It took me a little bit to really get into this book and understand it but I ended up really enjoying it. I love the way that Nafisi ties the authors and books in with her story and the story of the war. It made me reconsider some of the books she mentioned that I've read and learn a lot from them. Her account was a little confusing for me since she goes from the group back to her University days and then to the group again and it was hard for me to keep all of the characters straight in my head. For me, one of the best parts of this was getting to learn more about Iran, the war, and the conditions people had to live in, especially women. I tend to concentrate on Latin America and this was truly eye opening. It also made me reflect on my own life and how lucky I've been to be able to express myself how I've wanted without fear. Specially with the election in November and the women's marches that we had. We are lucky to be able to practice free speech and protest peacefully without disappearing, getting put into prison, or even getting killed. Of course there's a lot to work on here but reading something like this put things into a different perspective for me. It was also interesting to read about Nafisi's struggles in staying to teach or leaving and staying in Tehran or going to the US. Where would she be most useful to the war and her people? Where can she help those that don't have a voice? The decisions that she took were extremely difficult as well as the decisions some of her girls took. There were so many things to learn from in this book!

I'm about 100 pages from being done with this book, but even with being busy with nursing school, I will finish it. I am really enjoying the book and reading about a different perspective of a different time in a different place that I don't know anything about.
It's interesting to read the parts where Nafisi talks about the veil and her refusal to wear it as part of the law, but that when it comes to respecting religion and tradition for some, she will wear the veil for them. She refuses to wear the veil even though she talks about her grandmother wearing it and trying to hide in the shadows because that is how her grandmother was raised and grew up. She respects those who choose to wear the veil and thinks that by making all the women wear it, the government is taking away the choice of all women, and taking away the religions aspect as well.
Nafisi also talks about her secret students rebellious ways of dressing under the cloak and how her own youth was different compared to her students. She had freedom to choose more such as school where as these young woman decisions are being decided by the man in their life.
I remember when I learned that Iran was not always the way it is today, that women used to have more choices, and I didn't really believe it. I didn't believe it because I don't understand how a society could go from allowing woman to wear what they want to forcing them to hide their bodies, it seems so backwards. And even though our society isn't going through that, it kind of feels like things could go that way by trying to bar woman from getting contraceptives and saying abstinence is the way woman don't get pregnant.
I think Nafisi is a brave woman who choose to not wear the veil but when she did decide to go back to school and wear it because she had to to teach, she made it obvious she did not agree with it and let her scarf "slip" on accident. Even though that itself could get her in trouble.
Like I said, I still have some pages left and I know she moves to America, I just don't know what happens to her to make the move.