‌Book Recommendation: "What Iranians Want: Women, Life, Freedom" by Arash Azizi

This fresh and rousing account of modern Iranian society provides a wholistic view of the current Iranian freedom struggle for, as the title suggests, women, life, and freedom. Arash Azizi is the author of The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the US, and Iran’s Global Ambitions as well as a contributor to The Atlantic, having also published numerous works under magazines such as The New York Times and Washington Post. In this latest book, Azizi compartmentalizes the expansive issues facing Iranians today to produce bite-sized explanations in the form of chapters.

Azizi felt the need to publish his book following the Woman, Life, Freedom protests of 2022. Mahsa Jina Amini, an Iranian Kurd, was arrested by the morality police for not wearing her hijab properly. She was beaten and died in custody. This tragic event lit the fuse of the powdered keg of Iranian dissent that had been brewing since the Revolution of 1979. Iranians took too the streets with more women demonstrating than ever before. Some have even called the movement the first of its kind to be led by women and supported by men. Women burned their hijabs and cut their hair as a public sign of defiance. Azizi's first two chapters are dedicated to the feminist struggle in Iran, which is fitting seeing as women are a leading force in this movement. But the Woman, Life, Freedom movement and its aims extend beyond women's rights.

The book addresses the environmental and economic strain Iran is facing. This includes destruction of natural resources, degradation of air quality (as demonstrated by the withered trees in Tehran's famous Valiasr), and loss of biodiversity. Iranians are also combatting hyperinflation as a result of poor management and trade embargoes.

While Azizi's book brings to light the darkest aspects of Iranian life today, he keeps a confident tone throughout the book. Azizi strives to unite readers in supporting the Iranian cause and his belief that Iran will ultimately prosper is strong as long as there are people to support progress in the nation.

You can purchase his book on Amazon here.