From Miniskirt to Hijab
Winner of the Chicago Writers Association 2020 Book of the Year Award
Read the riveting true story of fate, faith, and multiple cultural identities of a young woman in one of the most fascinating and politically turbulent parts of the world.
TRADITIONAL NONFICTION 2020 BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD Judges: Angalia Bianca & Linda Beckstrom Winner From Miniskirt to Hijab by Jacqueline Saper Jacqueline Saper has given us a boots-on-the-ground account of the political and cultural upheaval caused by the 1979 Iranian Revolution. As an upper-class teenager, she enjoyed the freedom to travel, a private education, the ability to explore her beloved home city of Tehran and do it all on her own terms. When the Shah fell and the Ayatollah regime began, her carefree life changed and everything she had come to love was darkened by restrictions on her movement, her dress, her education, even her thoughts and emotions. Her journalistic prose, uncluttered with superfluous emotional commentary, conveys a tense coming of age, taking us with her on a journey from her once vibrant, teen life, through the terror of daily bombings during the Iran-Iraq War, and the ever-looming threat of daily encounters with her fellow citizens, many acting as the morality police. By the end of this book, the reader will gain insight and understanding about a much-hidden society, formed by one of the starkest shifts in the everyday lives of its citizens and in many ways remaining largely unknowable by many in the West. An important and courageous book, Saper’s story leaves the reader deeply moved and incredulous, but at the same time hopeful and in awe of the author’s ability to cope and ultimately thrive. |
"Saper places us in the front row, granting the privilege to experience her love of life, her empathy for others, her fears and resolve, as she watches her beloved country sink into the slough of despondence under the weight of an intrusive and repressive theocracy. From Miniskirt to Hijab: small in size, powerful to read." San Diego Jewish World
ABOUT THE PRESS The University of Nebraska Press has been the bastion of intelligent, thoughtful literature. They make it their mission to pick the smartest, sharpest minds in the business. The press is selected to be one of the 17 most innovative university presses in the country.UNP was launched in 1941 and is the 12th largest university press in the United States. They have 4 imprints- Bison Books, The Jewish Publication Society, Potomac Books, and The Backwaters Press. Since 2010, two of UNP's books have received the Bancroft Prize, the highest honor bestowed on history books in the U.S. |
