Like many USAmericans, I am woefully ignorant of the inner workings of Iran and the diverse peoples and movements that have occurred and continue to exist there. Despite my resistance to it, there is still consistent horrific propaganda pumped into our media sphere that also limits me. Add onto that my intentional lack of social media, where much of the real information contained within this book went viral, and it is a recipe for misunderstanding. As a result, I cannot draw on a wealth of past knowledge to judge Stolen Revolution against. What I can say is that Yeganeh Torbati and Bozorgmehr Sharafedin taught me quite a lot. After finishing this, it feels like I’ve read multiple books and somehow kept up with the news over time.
The book is written by multiple Persian speaking journalists drawing from a wealth of experiences and research. The reporting of the book took place over 5 years and new things kept occurring during that time. I can only imagine what it was like trying to keep up with it all.
I knew that there was authoritarianism and corruption throughout modern Iranian governments, but I think I was unprepared for just how horrific some of what I learned in this book would be. On bad days, and sometimes on good ones, any sort of resistance in the USA can feel like punching a brick wall expecting it to move. I can only imagine what organizers in Iran must feel like. I get a taste of it from the people highlighted in this text. The writers chose to focus on the stories of a few individuals, all from varying backgrounds and belief systems. I think this does well to really allow the reader to experience things as more than a list of facts and stats. Even still though, I don’t think anything in print could ever capture what these people have endured.
The executions we have seen of organizers on the streets here rightfully horrified a nation followed by all of the expected defensive propaganda from the state. Iranian movements are dealing with that times a million. It is not fair to compare countries, we are obviously very different and the reasons for things that are happening there are not the same as here nor is the balance of power. But, it is hard not to want to understand things with the limited frame of reference I do have. I mention this because there are parts of the book where the ignorance caused by this comparison is evident. Anyone in the USA can point to how going “full France” here is not going to go the way it does in France. That’s definitely true in Iran, yet you still have people claiming they are not resisting enough or correctly. It is a bit baffling, the paternalistic nature of such an assessment. Yet, it signifies how they are dealing with the authoritarianism inside their nation and tons of it from without, creating a perfect storm of hell.
There are moments in history from this book that I do recall living through- especially those that occurred when I was more active in organizing. I recall feeling a kinship with people then, but I also realize how little I knew at the time, even when I was actively trying to find the information. I even had a couple moments where I cringed at assumptions I made about figures possibly being virtuous by nature of (rightfully) criticizing the USA.
The generations that have followed with each evolution of resistance, continuing to carry the torch, are beyond admirable and brave. It repeatedly made me think of Hope without Hope. We have to keep going even when we fear we are getting nowhere, because it is worth doing and something is always moving.
I look forward to future works by these authors and am rooting for the people of Iran, especially with the added war that the country I reside in has shamefully tossed onto the fire. I hope that we can build solidarity between each other and fight against the idea that we are represented by the tyrants that rule the borders we exist within.
This was also posted to my storygraph and goodreads.