Honeymoon in Purdah: An Iranian Journey Book

This is absolutely one of the most unbiased, open-minded "outsider" views on modern-day Iran that I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Alison Wearing went into Iran with an open mind and an open heart, and a double dollop of tenacity and courage. She emerges a person who has viewed the country the news media doesn't want us to see. This is the country of total strangers who invite you to stay and dine at their house; of people who are concerned with whether you find the restrictions of their country pleasant or stifling; and, the story of other ex-patriots who have made their home in this land, and how they view it as outsiders who have become insiders, as much as possible.
There are fascinating stories in this book, including the author's day spent escaping the stifling heat of the city with nomads in the mountains, including a 12-year old girl who is married but unable to consummate the marriage since she hasn't finished puberty. In Shiraz, Wearing meets a British woman who is raising her teenaged daughter with her Iranian husband. She bemoans her nieces in England who are struggling with teenage pregnancies, while her daughter is getting straight A's and planning for college. Not every story is positive, including the incident on the bus to Syria, which raises Wearing's ire. But, people are people no matter where you go. And, the majority of people she meets are a far cry from what anyone would expect.

I highly recommend this book, and have loaned my copy to several people so far. It tells things I experienced as the wife of an Iranian in that country, but is even more interesting because Alison Wearing is truly viewing this world as an observer.