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The Republic of Imagination: America in Three Books Audiobook
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Publisher Description
A passionate hymn to the power of fiction to transform people’s lives, by the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Reading Lolita in Tehran
Ten years ago, Azar Nafisi electrified readers with her million-copy bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran, which told the story of how, against the backdrop of morality squads and executions, she taught The Great Gatsby and other classics to her eager students in Iran. In this exhilarating followup, Nafisi has written the book her fans have been waiting for: an impassioned, beguiling and utterly original tribute to the vital importance of fiction in a democratic society. What Reading Lolita in Tehran was for Iran, The Republic of Imagination is for America.
Taking her cue from a challenge thrown to her in Seattle, where a skeptical reader told her that Americans don’t care about books the way they did back in Iran, she challenges those who say fiction has nothing to teach us. Blending memoir and polemic with close readings of her favorite American novels—from Huckleberry Finn to The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter—she invites us to join her as citizens of her “Republic of Imagination,” a country where the villains are conformity and orthodoxy, and the only passport to entry is a free mind and a willingness to dream.
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“This genre-defying gem of anaudiobook is an exhilarating reminder of the power of literature to make usthink, feel, and strive…Nafisi argues the centrality of literature to democracyand decries its diminution in educational policy and public thought. Nafisi’srich, undulating voice introduces her own premise. Narrator Mozhan Marno’sclarion voice carries that message to its conclusion. Literature lovers andlibrarians will naturally be drawn to Nafisi’s message, but, as she herselfnotes, those who would benefit most are exactly those least likely to listen.Forgo your earbuds and see whom you can evangelize by playing this inspiringaudiobook out loud.”
— AudioFile
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“Nafisi reflects on her lifelong love for Western literature through an exhilarating exploration of three American classics.”
— O, The Oprah Magazine -
“Nafisi is back, this time exploring novels that speak to her about America (now her home)…She reminds us that immigrants bring many things to America, starting with a fresh set of eyes.”
— Vanity Fair -
“In works by Mark Twain, Sinclair Lewis, and Carson McCullers, Nafisi finds the essence of the American experience, filtered through narratives not about exceptionalism or fabulous success but alienation, solitude, and landscape. Her argument is compelling, but more than that, her pleasure in these works is contagious…Will Americans be as willing to take to heart a book that puts us on the spot and asks of us the same serious questions that Nafisi asked of the regime in Tehran? We are more spread out than Iranians, more thoughtless, more susceptible to the marketing of ignorance, perhaps—especially in an election season. But read it. It will do you good.”
— Washington Post -
“Nafisi presents a passionate and compelling case for the return of the imagination to our nation’s esteem…As a teacher, she often hears the question posed to all English teachers: Why do we have to read this? This book is a thoughtful and brilliant answer to that question.”
— Minneapolis Star-Tribune -
“Mixing memoir with literary criticism and social critique, Nafisi contends that imaginative literature is essential to good citizenship…Through accessible and informative readings…Nafisi succeeds in conveying her broader point—that Great American Novels can teach us to be good ‘citizen readers.’”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Nafisi responded to a reader’s comment that books don’t matter to Americans the way they did to Nafisi’s Iranian students by analyzing her most beloved works of American literature, especially The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Babbitt, and The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.”
— Library Journal -
“The Iranian American author of Reading Lolita in Tehran makes a passionate argument for returning to key American novels in order to foster creativity and engagement…A literary study that derives its emotional power from Nafisi’s personal story and relationship.”
— Kirkus Reviews
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About Azar Nafisi
Azar Nafisi is a professor at John Hopkins University. She has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal among others.
About Mozhan Marnò
Mozhan Marnò is an Iranian American film and television actress, most notably appearing in Charlie Wilson’s War and Bones. Her audiobook narrations have won several AudioFile Earphones Awards.