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sethdmichaels.bsky.social · @sethdmichaels.bsky.social@bridge.neodb.net

Rated Children of Paradise: The Struggle for the Soul of Iran 10/10

A long, powerful, tremendously well-reported history of the ideological origins of the Iranian revolution and its reformers and dissidents. Chronological but not a straight history - it's seen through the people and especially the ideas that shape the times. If you are into a grim, careful book that takes you inside a country often seen as opaque or monolithically evil, this is precisely for you. In particular, I couldn't help but be struck by the way everyday life and the paranoia of living under a violent autocracy can intersect - and with the parallels between Iran's political scene and our own (I kept highlighting and tweeting photos of excerpts). Not for everybody, but riveting if a long intellectual history appeals to you.

#book

Published 2026-08-18 17:04 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere