Iran (Places and Peoples of the World)

This volume opens with a brief overview of Iran's current situation, focusing on the Rushdie affair and the death of Khomeini. Sanders discusses the land's geographic features and traces the country's history from earliest times to the presidency of Rafsanjani in 1989. The last half of the book deals with contemporary Iranian society: government, education, health care, social welfare, the arts, economy, transportation, and communication. There is an excellent summation of different tribal groups plus lively reports on daily life and customs in both the urban and rural areas. A final short chapter comments on the effects of the Islamic revolution and on the country's self-imposed isolation. Sanders maintains a sympathetic tone throughout, acknowledging the problematic role the West has played in that region while recognizing that Iran's society is quite different from our own. With a rather skimpy glossary, black-and-white photos throughout, and a portfolio of colored photos as a center section, this covers similar material to Iran in Pictures (Lerner, 1989) but in a more leisurely, discursive style. Most libraries will want both titles on their shelves. --Ellen D. Warwick, Robbins Library, Arlington, MA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.