April 15th, 2014
“Fifteen-year-old Farrin lives with secrets. It is 1988, and Farrin’s wealthy parents are conspiring to install the Shah’s son to the throne. That is their secret; hers is even more dangerous. She is in love with Sadira, the new girl in school, who returns her feelings even though homosexuality is regarded as a crime punishable […]
Posted in Moon at Nine
March 7th, 2014
“Basing her book on a true story, Ellis has written a heartbreaking tale of prejudice and injustice. Ellis contrasts the sanctioned horrible treatment of human beings with an illegal love story…The characters are complex and carefully drawn… While we recognize some progress in our country in terms of gay and lesbian rights, Moon at Nine […]
Posted in Moon at Nine
February 26th, 2014
“In a novel based on a true story, two teen girls fall in love and face harsh political fallout in post-revolution Iran. Readers learn the basics of 1980s Iran’s political situation from context and light exposition. Farrin’s family is wealthy, and her mother hosts Bring Back the Shah teas and parties with illicit alcohol. Farrin’s […]
Posted in Moon at Nine
February 18th, 2014
“…The girls become romantically involved, a crime punishable by death. Inspired by the life of an Iranian woman Ellis met (“This story is essentially hers,” she notes), the novel powerfully depicts lives pulled apart by outside forces and the warmth of falling in love. A firm grounding in Iranian history, along with the insight and […]
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