Crooked Alleys: Deliverance and Despair in Iran

by Soraya Lennie

Overview

By the end of the Ahmadinejad era, Iran was suffocating. It was as though the streets of Tehran had become narrower, the buildings taller, the dirty air thicker. In 2013, Iranians chose a new leader representing reform and pragmatism, burying the gloomy days when a Holocaust-denying president had pushed the country to the edge of economic collapse and violent conflict. But the nation hasn't quite broken free.

This is the story of Iran today, told through the eyes of its people. Iranians are moving on, yet the Islamic Republic remains a prisoner of the past, plagued by US sanctions, medical shortages and failing planes; internal divisions, a broken economy and the threat of war. Now, the Trump years have destroyed Iran's best chances for real change.

The 2010s marked one of the most significant periods in Iran's modern history. Rouhani's election gave voice to millions sick of the hardliner status quo, of Iran's pariah status and its reputation in the West as a country of revolutionary extremists. But how have Iranians met and lived through the latest challenges? What future do they imagine now? Crooked Alleys explores Iran during some of its darkest days, but also its most hopeful.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781787384668
Publisher:	Hurst
Publication date:	08/15/2021
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	8.76(w) x 5.82(h) x 1.36(d)

About the Author

Soraya Lennie is an Australian-Iranian journalist and analyst. Based in the Middle East, including Iran, since 2010, she has covered politics, war and international crisis. She holds an MA in International Diplomacy (MENA) from SOAS University of London and a diploma in Persian from the University of Tehran.

Editorial Reviews

"As one of only a handful of correspondents based in Iran, Soraya Lennie offers a unique view of that country. A vivid portrait of Iranians, their hopes and struggles, at a turning point in Iran's long history. Indispensable reading."— Jason Rezaian, Opinions Writer, The Washington Post, and author of Prisoner: My 544 Days in an Iranian Prison

"In this powerful and insightful narrative, Lennie uses the voices of Iranians themselves—articulate, beautiful and very often damning—to chart the modern unravelling of Iran's Islamic Revolution. Based on superb on-the-ground reporting, Crooked Alleys captures how Iranians cope, caught between US sanctions and the threat of war, and their own leaders' vicious infighting, corruption and negligence." — Scott Peterson, author of Let the Swords Encircle Me: Iran-A Journey Behind the Headlines

"Lennie's succinct, deft and elegant prose illustrates, through the personal stories of ordinary Iranians, a resilient society under pressure from within and without. A much-needed glimpse into the dynamics of the Rouhani administration and the lives of Iranians impacted by sanctions."— Hooman Majd, author of The Ayatollah Begs to Differ and The Ayatollahs' Democracy

"This book is at its roaring best when it tells the tales of those Iranians who have been hit the hardest by the devastating sanctions regime and interventions pursued by successive US governments. A riveting and touching reading experience."— Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, author of What is Iran?

From the Publisher