Stolen Revolution by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Yeganeh Torbati review
This account of the Islamic Republic and its discontents told via six contrasting lives should be required reading
TL;DR
- The book serves as a corrective to simplistic views of Iran, offering a balanced and researched history through six personal stories.
- The 1979 revolution promised independence and prosperity but resulted in a corrupt regime that instituted gender apartheid and worsened social injustices.
- Regime leaders abandoned revolutionary promises, prioritizing power over economic well-being and isolating Iran.
- Hardliners consolidated power, empowering the Revolutionary Guards to become a business empire and manipulating elections.
- Recent uprisings, like the Woman Life Freedom movement sparked by Mahsa Amini's death, are secular and widespread, involving diverse segments of the population.
- The narrative concludes with the 2025 Israeli strikes, leaving Iranians in a state of complex emotions, hoping for the regime's downfall.
- Protests have evolved from specific groups to encompass broader segments of society, including Muslims, parents, and the poor.