I confess I was slightly bored by the first half of the story: pre-teen Jewish girl's life in pre-Revolutionary Tehran; that section does make a point that opposition to the Shah was widespread, far from just a radical Moslem "thing". Second part (post-Revolution) is much stronger, though the story ends as the family makes the final decision to emigrate, with a "teaser" that the story of their journey might be forthcoming as a sequel; there is an epilogue telling of the "fate" of most of the main characters at the time the book went to press.

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Offering us a quiet, child's-eye view of tumultuous times, Hakakaian weaves her words with grace and skill. There's a bit of Ann Frank in this: as a reader, I knew what was coming in her country, whereas she was innocently exploring first crushes and adolescent adventures. Her lifelong love of language shows, and makes this book a pleasure to read.

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