Public flirtation is a crime in Iran, with predictable consequences. Jamileh Delkash has a teen crush, and she’s only fifteen (almost fifteen). She can only dodge the Basij (Moral Police) for so long, and she’s already floundering in Islamic propriety.
Her budding independence stems from visits to the Monkey Bar, where local teens gamble on monkey bicycle races. Here, she attempts to fan the flames of love with Armand Ducasse, the son of Iran’s Ambassador to France.
Being good and being happy proves difficult to reconcile. The ever-watchful Basij and Armand’s call to war, triggers their flight to Paris. But so-called friends, caprice, and Afghan slavers threatens their midnight escapade.
PERSIANALITY was written to be a fun read, but given today’s dark and explosive political atmosphere, every father should buy this bildungsroman for his daughter, to explore life’s perilous questions before confronting them.
