45 pages • 1 hour read
Dalia SoferA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
During their weekly hour of outside time, Isaac and other prisoners talk. The others fall back on anti-Semitic tropes, accusing Isaac of having no beliefs and only caring about money—standard anti-Jewish slurs. Isaac defends his philosophy that life is to be enjoyed and quotes poetry by the Sufi poet Hafez. The other prisoners join in and there is a moment of lightness. In his cell, Isaac reflects on the Shah’s downfall. He remembers seeing the impressive Daria-i-Noor, or “Sea of Light,” diamond on the Shah’s headdress and reflecting on its timelessness and durability. The Shah had sought to embody these qualities with his lavish and ostentatious celebrations of the Persian Empire, including meals symbolizing the Iranian monarchy. Self-proclaimed heir to the great Persian kings, the Shah was in fact just a commoner. He died in exile, tarnished with the reputation of a tyrant, having tried to make himself and his country “something they were not” (104).
Farnaz visits Isaac’s aged parents. Their home is a somber and gloomy place: His mother spends her days playing solitaire to predict the future, hoping for a sign that the Shah will return, while Isaac’s father sits silently, in bad health and longing for a prohibited alcoholic drink.
9th-12th Grade Historical Fiction
View Collection
Art
View Collection
Books About Art
View Collection
Children's & Teen Books Made into Movies
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Class
View Collection
Family
View Collection
Fear
View Collection
Historical Fiction
View Collection
Jewish American Literature
View Collection
Loyalty & Betrayal
View Collection
Middle Eastern History
View Collection
Middle Eastern Literature
View Collection
Nation & Nationalism
View Collection
Politics & Government
View Collection
Popular Book Club Picks
View Collection
Safety & Danger
View Collection
Sexual Harassment & Violence
View Collection
The Past
View Collection