Ansary, an Iranian-born philanthropist who now lives in Los Angeles, takes an incisive, intellectually robust look at the feminist movement in Iran. She presents six common misconceptions about Iranian women and then debunks each one with straightforward analysis and scholarly precision. Over the course of the book, Ansary intertwines accounts of female Persian trailblazers—activists, intellectuals, poets, and suffrage martyrs—with the intricate history of the women’s movement in Iran, which, according to the author, goes back to ancient times. Mostly Ansary addresses present-day culture and the misguided notion that modern Iran lacks a vigorous women’s movement, pointing readers to progressive grassroots efforts, a feminist magazine, and numerous accomplished, professional women advocating for women’s rights. This is a riveting portrait of the Iranian woman: her strength, resilience, suffering and hope. (BookLife)