Septembers of Shiraz by Dalia Sofer

I was in NYC a few weeks ago and Meredith gave me several book recommendations. This one, about an Jewish family in Iran, caught my attention and I got it out from the library right away.

I wasn't disappointed. The story followed a young girl whose family is dealing with their change of status during the Revolution of the early 1980's. Formerly well-off and respected, the family is suddenly thrown into the throes of a violent change in regime. The family's father is put in jail and the young daughter absorbs all of the changes with the innocence and honesty of a 9-year-old. Also in the story is a brother who is sent to the United States and the mother of the family, who is grappling with her own challenges to the new government and its regulations. There were some unique circumstances the family found themselves in because they were Jewish but the story seemed pretty universal to me.

I enjoyed reading the book, both to learn about the place and time the author described and to find out what happened to the characters- she did a good job of building suspense and of crafting a young character with real emotions and concerns.