Searching for Hassan: A Journey to the Heart of Iran by Terence WardMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fascinating & very well-written book about a family who used to live in Tehran, Iran--back in the days of the Shah. Terence & his brothers attended the Community School and their father directed plays at the Iran-American Society. They never forgot about their house helper, Hassan, and his family, and on a whim in 1998 or so, decide to go to Iran to try to locate him. Ward does an excellent job of weaving in historical & cultural background into the story of their adventure, as it unfolds. From Shiraz, they head north, taking in Persepolis, Pasargade (King Cyrus' tomb), Yazd, Esfahan, and Qom--as well as the small town where they remember Hassan telling them he was originally from. Great story all-around. Read on my Kindle.
The spirit of the book is well captured by author Gelareh Asayesh in the Washington Post: “The trip back to Iran proves to be a new beginning in the saga of the Wards and Ghasemis. Something very unusual happened in that Persian garden many years ago: the family of an American Christian oil company executive and the family of an Iranian Muslim cook became one. And if they were able to bridge the great divide, perhaps there is hope for us all.”
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