Campbell should have the success of Terry McMillan. Her writing is much better and her characters are more well drawn. This book once again follows the lives of several families and generations, and she once again makes all the characters believable, real people rather than stereotypical portraits. While I enjoyed this book, it isn't her best work, however. Would highly recommend Brothers and Sisters.

This author's ability to analyse Western literature and explain its subtleties gives the reader new appreciation for it. When you stop to consider that the author and her book group put their lives at risk to read these works, it also makes you appreciate how unfortunate it is that the majority of Americans will ignore these books or read them grudgingly for school credit. Her stories range from the humorous to the appalling and each is told in such a way to make the reader better understand the lives of the politically repressed. One need not have a thorough knowledge of Iranian history nor the books discussed to greatly enjoy this writer's story. Perhaps it will help us to appreciate our freedoms and not take them so for granted. I have read this book three times now; once when it first was released, again for a non-fiction book group, and finally when it was chosen as our town's "One Book" and each time I have drawn new things from it...a sign of a classic in my estimation.