Taking Cover: One Girls Story of Growing Up During the Iranian Revolution by Nioucha Homayoonfar

Taking Cover: One Girls Story of Growing Up During the Iranian Revolution Reviews

• 
  Stew

  Yeah that's right. I'm the husband of the author and I'm giving it five stars. And I'm not afraid of a little full disclosure. Only I among you know the hard work and perseverance that went into this memoir. I heard about this manuscript on our first date. It went through many iterations and rewrites working titles and she received many rejection letters from agents over a dozen years but she never stopped believing in the project.
  It should serve as a little encouragement for all those toiling away at their book projects. Keep at it!
  
  
• 
  SheAintGotNoShoes

  I have read a few books about young women born in Iran who 'escaped ' and moved to the States once the Shah was booted out and the Ayatollahs took over. They are all similar in scope but vary a bit in the details.
  
  The author is now in her 50s and has lived in the States for 30 years, is married, has children and has made a grand success of her life.
• 
  Dorine White

  The year is 1986 and Nioucha is sixteen years old and living with her family in Iran. Her father is Iranian and her mother is French. While taking a walk, Nioucha's head scarf accidentally slips and is she is arrested by the Black Crows, or moral police. For what they consider inappropriate behavior, they take her to an isolated building and imprison her.
  
  
  
  As Nioucha is alone, she reflects over what has happened in the last few years to her beloved country. She came to Iran, from Pittsburgh, USA, when she was five years old. She recalls the love of her family, her Aunt and Uncle, Cousins and Grandparents. Everything was wonderful in Iran. Nioucha felt free. She had enjoyed attending a school with fellow boys and girls who liked to run and play with her. She makes friends with another girl, Anahita, whose mother is also French.
  
  
  
  But then everything changed when Iran's government leader, the Shah, was overthrown. Now, Ayatollah Khomeini rules. He turns the country into the Islamic Republic of Iran and issues orders that all people follow his version of Islamic laws.
  
  
  
  Nioucha is young and can not understand the new rules.
  
  
  
  She notices simple changes at first. Boys and girls are no longer allowed to go to school together. Then, girls are made to wear a uniform, and the next year a headscarf. As time goes on, any kind of contact with boys that aren't a relative is considered a crime, even just talking.
  
  
  
  Her father's family follows Islam faithfully, but these new rules don't mesh with what they've taught her. Nioucha and her classmates now study Islam in school and are forced to adapt to the rules of the Islamic Republic. Opinions at school are not encouraged. As a teenager, Nioucha rebels in her own way. She has a boyfriend and listens to Michael Jackson's music. But, all the time, the worry of being arrested, beaten, or killed follows her.
  
  
  
  Nioucha's memory returns to 1986 to continue the story, and she is let go from the Black Crows capture. She rushes home to her frightened parents, and soon it is clear that the family can no longer stay in Iran. Since her mother is French, Nioucha, her brother and their mother are allowed to leave the country, but her dad must wait six months before they know if he will be able to join them. The rest of her family must stay in Iran. Her cousin had tried to escape once, and was beaten almost to death.
  
  
  
  Nioucha aches for Iran and though she is thankful to be in America, to go to the University of Pittsburgh, and get a degree in Art History, she misses home. In 1998, she was able to make a return visit with her father, though her mother and brother stayed in America for fear of him being drafted into the Iranian military.
  
  
  
  Even now, the "smells, sounds, and colors of Tehran" hit her at random moments.
  
  
  
  My Thoughts-
  
  Wow, my eyes were opened to events I had very little knowledge about. Reading the real life story of Nioucha, of seeing her in Iran before and then during the Iranian revolution, had me captivated. During her decade in Iran, her life changes dramatically and she struggles to understand the Islamic customs of her family and the new Islamic regime of the Republic of Iran. Her life, the changes in it, and the conflict that affects her family portrays this struggle as readers are shown, not told.
  
  
  
  Kids will relate to Nioucha. It doesn't matter that it is a different county, or religion. She is a teenager. She wants to listen to music, have a boyfriend and wear cool clothes. Her life during the turbulent times of the revolution allows readers to get a peek into a world where freedoms are taken away. It is a timely story that will stimulate conversation about politics, religion, society, and the simple fact that we are all human beings.
  
  
  
  A bonus is the photos in the middle of the book that are of Nioucha and her family while living and visiting Iran. I'm giving this book 4 stars! The storytelling is great, but I had a few issues with info placement.
• 
  Stacie

  This timely memoir, chronicles the author’s childhood growing up before and after the Iranian Revolution. What started as a happy, loving childhood soon turned into a horrifying one where she was constantly living in fear and always having to look over her shoulder.
  
  At the age of five, Nioucha’s French mother and Iranian father decided to leave their home in Pittsburgh and return to her father’s home of Iran. This was during the 1970’s when different religions could co-exist and men AND women were allowed to achieve college degrees and obtain professional careers. As she adjusted to living in a new environment, adjusting to the Iranian culture, learning the language, making new friends, and reacquainting with her family she soon started to love her life in Iran.
  
  With the overthrow of the shah and Ayatollah taking over, Nioucha’s childhood was much different. Girls and women no longer had rights, full robes and scarves must cover their entire bodies, and religion classes were required (which got Nioucha in a bit of trouble).
  
  The book begins with Nioucha out for a walk with her mother and younger brother when she is kidnapped by the Black Crows. She was kidnapped for a sliver of her wrist showing at the bottom of her robe and a strip of hair from her scarf peeking out. She was taken right in front of her mother and there was nothing her mother could do to stop them.
  
  As Nioucha tells her story, she reflects back on a time when life in Iran was happy and easy. From 1980-1987, Nioucha tells how her family embraced the culture of Iran and then did all they could to survive the new regime. Photos of her family are included in the book as well as an afterword that brings the reader up to 1998.
  
  This book is written for middle-grade and older readers with short chapters. But, the material can be heavy and disturbing at times. But there are also some wonderful sections where the author describes the beauty of her country, the delicious food they prepared for gatherings, and the love and sacrifices her family made for each other. Knowing these struggles and sacrifices the author was a part of can offer an opportunity for an enriching conversation about religious, social, and political freedoms with your child.
  
  This February marked the 40th Anniversary of the Iranian Revolution.
• 
  Heidi

  This engaging memoir of a young Iranian girl's growing up during the Iranian Revolution was eye-opening for me. In some ways she had a childhood not to different than mine, but in others, her life was vastly different. I enjoyed reading about her home life with her beloved parents as well as her experiences both good and not-so-good with her extended family. The move from America to Iran was a shock for her as a five-year-old, but being young she adapted quickly. But after the revolution occurred things started to change drastically. And with an Iranian father and a French mother, the changes didn't sit well with her own families' beliefs and traditions. Some of the experiences she had would have been truly terrifying. And yet, despite it all, she still loved her home and extended family, and still misses the good things that not even the revolution could take away. I learned a lot reading this book. The book is like a window into the life of a young person who grew up around the same time I did, but had vastly different experiences. The book is well-written and easy to read and is a great example of the memoir genre for the middle grade/young adult age-group.
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  Lacey Louwagie

  This is a good introduction to the Iranian revolution or life under a dictatorship for young readers. Although Nioucha doesn't go much into the political turmoil that served as the backdrop for the way her life changed as a child in Iran, she focuses on the lifestyle adjustments that would be most salient to kids -- having to be careful about the types of music you listen to, butting heads with teachers that espouse fundamentalist thinking, etc. The whole story feels built around the life-changing experience of being held by the "moral police" at the age of 15 for showing a triangle of skin at her neck on a hot day, which stands in contrast to a fairly normal childhood punctuated with horrors that Nioucha experienced mostly secondhand. Because there is nothing too racy here (a forbidden romance doesn't go into explicit detail, and strong language is used a couple times), it could be safely used in middle school classrooms or other settings where kids may be doing a more in-depth examination of Middle Eastern politics for the first time.
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  Leanna

  Wonderful read for adults and young adults alike. Thanks Nioucha for sharing your story with us.
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  Kathy (Bermudaonion)

  3.75 stars
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  Kellee Moye

  Generally, our system of history education and media focus do not set up Americans with great global information which is evident in the many nonfiction and historical fiction books I’ve encountered in my recent lifetime that have taught me so much about the world. This is one of those books.
  
  This memoir does a special thing in being a beautiful narrative that at its heart is about a young girl growing up but is also addresses the true prejudice against women in Iran as well as teach some basics about the Islam faith and the Iranian Revolution. It is hard to balance these objectives but Taking Cover does it really well which makes it perfect for middle school readers because the story will engage them while they are exposed to a time period and place that they may know little about, as I did.
  
  Side note: Is anyone else really impressed by the vivid memories that some have of their childhood? That is another thing I took away from this book–I remember a lot less than others! Excerpts from the memoir would be wonderful as a mentor text about writing about memories using imagery.
  
  Side note: I would love to do a memoir book club with diverse voices including Taking Cover! I was thinking Born a Crime (the new young reader edition), Hey Kiddo, Open Mic, and March Book One-Three. What other titles do you know of that would fit this idea?
  
  Review and Educators' Guide:
  http://www.unleashingreaders.com/?p=1...
• 
  Bobbi Woods

  Love me a YA memoir!!
  
  Nioucha Homayoonfar moved to Iran from Pittsburgh with her Iranian father and French-born mother as a young girl because her father missed his homeland and his extended family. In this memoir, she describes the beauty of Tehran, the colorful clothing and Persian decor, the delicious food (I could almost taste it!) made by her Iranian grandmother and aunt, and what evolved over the 11 or so years during their time there as the regime changed and Iran was at war with Iraq.
  
  This story is a stark reminder of how quickly life can change when everyday freedoms that one takes for granted are stripped away by a conservative, religious government. Taking Cover should be mandatory middle school reading for American students in the same way that The Handmaid’s Tale should be for adults. Years ago, I read the book Not Without My Daughter and was fascinated by Iranian culture. Disclaimer: Nioucha is my neighbour and friend and I have been excited to read this book for a while—so impressed that she was able to put her memories into words and share her story with all of us!
• 
  Alicia

  The storytelling was flat and almost robotic rather than a biography with heart and emotion-- it's like reading informational nonfiction rather than narrative nonfiction and because she's providing her own story, her own perspective, I guess I wanted more out of it though the organization and the proverbs were a great way to engage the reader at the beginning of each chapter.
  
  It showcases quite a few of the natural feelings that exist from moving through various countries, especially in times of war and feeling isolated because of the experience or language in addition to the upheaval in leadership.
  
  I wanted a bit more emotion and personality, not that the story isn't valuable. It read well, just not as engaging.
• 
  Kristi Bernard

  What would you do if a renegade group of young girls kidnapped you right in front of your mother and chastised you about your traditional clothing and how you were showing skin? How would you handle, as a young child, being told what you must do in case a chemical bomb exploded in a city you lived in? These are just a few of the experiences shared by author Nioucha Homayoonfar.
  
  Young readers are invited into the world of a young girl whose life had been turned upside down. Things don’t always stay the same and as a result we must adapt. Parents and teachers can use this guide as a tool for teaching tolerance, revolution, history, religion and most importantly self-identification.
  
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  Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens

  "When, in 1976, Nioucha's family moved from Pittsburgh to Iran, her father's homeland, they were returning to a modern, forward-thinking country. In 1979, however, the Iranian Revolution sent the nation into an ever-tightening spiral of religious policies and punishments, establishing an atmosphere of surveillance and fear." [from School Library Journal]
• 
  Aeicha

  Nioucha Homayoonfar’s memoir of her time growing up in Iran is heartfelt and engaging. Young readers will enjoy Homayoonfar’s humorous and conversational tone, while being deeply affected by her experience during turbulent times.
• 
  Zinnia Bayardo

  3.5 ⭐️
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  Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*

  Taking Cover: One Girl’s Story of Growing Up During the Iranian Revolution by Nioucha Homayoonhar, 156 pages. NONFICTION. National Geographic, 2019. $19
  Language: PG (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG.
  
  BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL
  
  AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
  
  The author tells her story in first person about growing up in Iran. A lot of what happens in the novel is just the day to day life in Iran, but there are some intense moments when the extreme changes happening in the country affect the family. Namily, Nioucha is arrested for immodesty and spends a few hours in jail.
  
  This book was hard to read because it jumped from Iran during the revolution, to past memories. The memories highlighted some element of the society they were living, but were often hard to follow. Much of this narrative is simply a coming of age story, with some pieces highlighting Iran’s struggles.
  
  Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher
  
  https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...
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  Beth

  A fascinating part of history -- Iran during the Shah's deposing and then the religious fanaticism that arose in his place, and seen from the eyes of a child. Nioucha's viewpoint is a bit broader -- her mother is French and she spent her first few years in America before her father went home to Iran.
  
  On the other hand, her child's eye view is limited, and she doesn't really grasp most of what is going on.
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  Bernadette Mills

  Excellent memoir about the drastic change in Iran's culture that took place in only a few short years due to a shift in the governments politics that embraced religious traditions and rule.
  I became very attached to the characters and emotional about the political situation. This book is a strong reminder that the safety of a country can change over night when religion is allowed into the political process.
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  Beth-Ann Cosenza Bourgeois

  This is a great true story about a girl's life in Inran growing up. The government rule changes the women and girls had to go through are very strict. I could not imagine having to deL with covering up head to toe or risk being arrested.
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  Emily

  3.5 stars I think.
  I really enjoyed the her first-hand account of Iran's regime change and how it affected someone who didn't/couldn't quite understand but still had to live with it. A great view for kids/teens/ and adults who often forget that their actions really do have an effect on each other - both ways.
  
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  Risa

  I came across this book because my middle schooler was assigned Persepolis (a graphic novel with some pretty brutal torture illustrations that provides almost zero context of what is going on historically at the time) in school, which we declined to have her read. I was looking for an alternate book and came across this one. Far superior in my opinion. Other reviewers thought it still didn't give enough context, which is true if you're looking for a history book, but for someone who wants a memoir, I thought it was just the right amount. (I'm thinking of not boring a middle school kid.) There are a few scenes (one involving learning to kiss a boy and the other about getting searched at an airport) that are a bit "edgy" for a young person, plus a little bit of mild language, but for a teen it's an excellent window into both the beauty of the country (anyone know where I can find some of those foods?) and the challenge of living under an oppressive regime.