title: A World Between: Poems, Short Stories, and Essays by Iranian-Americans
author:  Persis M. Karim 
description: The 1979 Iranian revolution catalyzed the migration of more than one million Iranians to the U.S. The writings of the first generation of immigrants reveal their common "sense of alienation and 'in-betweenness,' " according to editor Khorrami. The result is that an impression of bleaknessAeven bitternessAand mourning pervades this collection of original poems, short stories and transcripts of videotaped interviews with Iranian-American students conducted at UC-Berkeley. Zara Houshmand's poem "I Pass" exposes the universal dilemma of the outsider: "I hold the cards close to my chest;/ I bluff./ You call./ I pass." Likewise, Laleh Khalili's poem "Defeated" recounts how many immigrants "slowly unlearned [their] ancestry" and "lost" themselves. Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet's story "Martyrdom Street" describes a woman coming back to consciousness after an Iraqi bombing of an Iranian post office, next to "a man's dismembered hand, beautiful with long artistic fingers, capable of painting masterpieces or composing epics." This woman "survives," but loses the use of her own left hand and watches helplessly as her marriage becomes a casualty of war. Though too bleak to be read in one sitting, these stories and poems are eloquent testimony to the eminent desirability of peace. <br />Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
zlib_text: # PRAISE FOR _D ISORIENTAL_
  
  
  “Djavadi here offers an account of an Iranian family, through revolutions,
  relationships, and diaspora, and she does so with a voice remarkably open to
  humor, warmth, and love. The prose is at once chaotic and precise, charismatic
  and familiar . . . _Disoriental_ is a wonder and a pleasure to read.”  
  —Rivka Galchen, author of _Atmospheric Disturbances_
  
  
  
  
  
  “Phenomenal! Insightful and compelling.”  
  —Stephanie Crowe, Page & Palette
  
  
  
  
  
  “If the history of Iran had to be contained in a book, set in motion and
  shaken by its revolutions, it would give you _Disoriental_ . . . Astonishing,
  disorderly, extraordinary, and enjoyable.”  
  — _Le Devoir_
  
  
  
  
  
  “ _Disoriental_ is a rich, irreverent, kaleidoscopic novel of real originality
  and power. I’ve never read anything quite like it.”  
  —Alexander Maksik, author of _You Deserve Nothing_
  
  
  
  
  
  “Woven into the gripping depictions of political unrest, family crises,
  national upheaval, and personal secrets is an excell