Review - "The Lion Women of Tehran" by Iranian American author Marjan Kamali
“Lionesses. Us. Can't you just see it Ellie? Someday, you and me — we'll do great things. We'll live life for ourselves. And we will help others. We are cubs now, maybe. But we will grow to be lionesses. Strong women who will make things happen.” The Lion Women of Tehran’ closed the gap I felt when reading ‘ The Stationery Shop’ - Marjan Kamali’s previous book on the same time period in Iran. The author keeps the reader completely invested in the lives of two lifelong friends Elaheh “Ellie” Soltani and Homa Roozbeh. Their childhood friendship goes through class differences, long separations, betrayals, and reunions, but survives many decades into their old age because of their inherent trust in the relationship. The story come alive because the socio-political turbulence of Iran is always intertwined with the protagonists' personal lives. The degradation of democracy and women’s rights continues as power is passed from Prime Minister Mossadegh to the Shah regime in th...