The Good Daughter: A Memoir of My Mother's Hidden Life Paperback – November 16, 2011

Makes me glad to be an American woman. Oppression of our counterparts breaks your heart.

I cannot love this book more. The eye-opening look into Persian culture and life before and after the Revolution is both fascinating and sad. But what holds the story together is Lili. A true testament to the power of a mother's love and the choices she makes for her family, past, present and future are the silk threads that weave through 300 + pages to create a poignant tapestry of resilience, loss, and longing for places and people that can and cannot be. I inhaled every word like a sweet tea.

The story was very moving and informative. I learn a lot about Iran, the culture, and the gains and losses of these people. The ending left too much unfinished, but that maybe how the entwining of these lives are as the old ones die.

The author gives a very interesting glimpse of the life of women in Iran before and after the Islamic Revolution. As a woman, the women's casual attitude toward domestic violence against other women is hard to read and is a recurring and widespread theme. They nurture and support each other, but excuse the men and blame the woman. But as the reader is introduced to several generations, you understand how cultural norms are passed down, with little education or will to change things. The time frame overlaps 'Reading Lolita in Tehran' and it's extremely interesting to see how women's lives were beginning to improve in 'The Good Daughter' up to the time of 'Lolita' and then how both books follow the downward spiral to where Iran is today. The author seemed to drop several interesting threads in the narrative, picking them up later with only confusion to connect them. And many details of the story don't seem to add up, especially as it concerns their finances. But overall, its a compelling story, a quick read, and pulls you in enough that the abrupt ending begs for a Part Two.

I read The Good Daughter on my honeymoon. My husband's parents immigrated to the US from Iran many years before he was born, so I have been reading books about Iran to gain more insight into their culture. The only other memoir about Iranian life that equals this one is Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. (I highly recommend reading both.)The most remarkable aspect of Dzarnik's book is the scope and detail with which she tells the story of her great-grandmother, grandmother and mother, as well as other relatives who played important roles in their lives. Her prose is beautiful, and descriptions of food, places and rituals are so evocative that it's easy to imagine being there with the women whose lives shaped hers. It's a dense book, but I didn't want to skip a word. While there are many memories that are hard to read, there are also stories of courage, redemption and perseverance that keep the story from becoming depressing - I was particularly charmed by the story of Kobra's mid-life career change and her reinvention of herself.Jasmin Dzarnik is very talented, and we are fortunate that she decided to share her family's story. If you want a better understanding of the people of Iran, definitely read this book.

Even though am not from Iran.. com from a patriarchal culture, growing up in the 80s.The content of this book fit in perfectly with the story of many women from many countries who are treated like furniture by their husbands and force to underage marriages that in domestic violence and sexual abuse. Having not rights, women of cultures like Iran have accept their fates. An aspect that have changed through the years.However, one thing immovable is the immense support and love women have with each other in times of struggles and happiness. They have changed societies during the years... I loved us for that

I enjoyed this book very much. Interesting to learn about cultural differences between Americans and Persians.

An engrossing account of life for women in Iran as seen from the lives of the great grandmother, grandmother and mother of the author. Lili, the author's mother, is married at thirteen to a sadistic man who beats her. After she gives birth to a daughter, she flees his home but has to leave her daughter behind. The author is Lili's second child, and has always seen her half sister, Sara, as the 'good daughter', but Sara is a damaged girl, who even as an adult, finds it hard to forgive her mother for her abandonment. This is a heart wrenching and mind opening look at a different culture's treatment of its women. Katherine McCaughan, author of 'Natasha Lands Down Under.'

Very interesting read. Also true with immigrant families. Difficulties they go true and how hard the woman work to keep the family together.

The book arrived in good time and in excellent condition. very good value and an extremely good read about an expat child coming to terms with growing up in a country foreign to her parents country.

enjoyable read showing the clashes in culture between old world and new life in USA.easy to read and interesting to see both sides of the story, the daughter and the mother and how their ideas differ.

Very interesting book

Beautiful story. Quick delivery, very happy!