Review: Iran Awakening

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Iran Awakening From Prison to Peace Prize: One Woman's Struggle at the Crossroads of History By Shirin Ebadi Random House Shirin Ebadi is of course now a known name right across the world, after winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. And in her memoir, she writes about an Iran we don't really hear about, an Iran we can't quite imagine. Yes, we knew of the appalling human rights track record but not in a way that felt real - it was once or twice removed from the reality of our humdrum lives. How bland and watered down the term "human rights abuse" has become. How much more powerful is a description of death squads, and the moment Ebadi finds her own name listed for termination. The fear, but the also the bizarre flippancy, telling her husband later that evening, "Well, an interesting thing happened to me today..." ....