Azar Nafisi, Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books. Random House, 2003. $21.00.
A memoir about teaching literature in the Islamic Republic of Iran and the story of a community of women whose lives are forever changed through their shared love of books. After resigning from her last academic post, Azar Nafisi set about making one of her dreams become a reality. She gathered together some of her brightest and committed female students to read forbidden Western literary classics. During these weekly meetings, the women risked removing their veils and immersed themselves in Jane Austen, Henry James, F.Scott Fitzgerald and Vladimir Nabokov – through the shared experience of reading, they unravel their own stories and their lives in Tehran. Reading Lolita in Tehran takes us on a fascinating journey into the passionate world of book-lovers and into the hearts and minds of these remarkable and resilient women.

Anne Kingston, The Meaning of Wife. HarperCollins Canada, 2004. $36.95.
Award-winning journalist and social commentator, Anne Kingston, offers insight and a fresh perspective on what it means to a wife today. Through research, her own experiences, and an exploration of contemporary icons both real and fictional, Kingston examines the landscape of “wifehood” and analyzes the married woman’s relationship to sexuality, power and worth. An engaging, surprising and original look at women and marriage.