My group will be presenting on women in the Middle East in a couple of weeks. In preparation, one of the books I chose to read was Mahi's Story by Gohar Kordi. While our group will not be presenting on this book, I think it is a worthwhile read for anyone who has the time. You can borrow my copy or it can be purchased very cheaply from Amazon.
Mahi's Story is, in a way, a response to Kordi's first book, An Iranian Childhood. Although I have not read An Iranian Childhood, Kordi speaks of it in the forward to Mahi's Story. An Iranian Childhood was really well received, however it ended up portraying of Kordi's mother,
Mahi, in a way that she came to regret and perceive as unfair. An Iranian Childhood spoke of the abuse and hardships Kordi faced as a child growing up in Iran, including losing her sight due to a lack of medical care during a childhood illness. The novel ends up making Mahi seem cruel and neglectful. Mahi's Story tells the tale from a different perspective. You hear Mahi's point of view (through Kordi's eyes).
Mahi was a woman who faced years of abuse throughout her childhood and adult life. She was forced into two marriages, and never allowed to have the independence that she so desperately craved. Her first arranged marriage was at the young age of 12. She endured marital rape and beatings on a regular basis.
Sounds like a deeply disturbing novel. I am curious about the decision to use a different text? Why? Would this text be suitable for secondary students, or is it too troubling?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to get your recommendation. This book was also on our "list" (Iranian literature) and was in contention for me, but I chose other books. Your post made me think about it again. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you brought this book into discussion, despite not choosing to use it in our unit. The idea of re-writing her novel because of the negative connotation she felt was portrayed of her mother in the first one, despite the great reviews it initially got, is very intriguing to me. It really makes me wonder about perspective, and about how we view the culture and troubles that occur over there versus how the people actually from that culture may see things. Yes- we can read all sorts of texts and watch all sorts of videos, but can we ever REALLY know what it's like to be a part of that culture without experiencing and living it? Maybe that's a bit of a stretch from this novel, but regardless, it makes me wonder...
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