The House on Sun Street - by Mojgan Ghazirad

About the Book

"A young girl grows up in a family uprooted by the terror of an Islamic Revolution, where her culture, her gender, and her education are in peril. For the curious and imaginative Moji, there is no better place to grow up than the lush garden of her grandparents in Tehran. However, as she sits with her sister underneath the grapevines, listening to their grandfather recount the enchanting stories of One Thousand and One Nights, revolution is brewing in her homeland. Soon, the last monarch of Iran will leave the country, and her home and her family will never be the same. From Moji's house on Sun Street, readers experience the 1979 Iranian revolution through the eyes of a young girl and her family members during a time of concussive political and social change. Moji must endure the harrowing first days of the violent revolution, a fraught passage to the US where there is only hostility from her classmates during the Iranian hostage crisis, her father's detainment by the Islamic Revolutionary Army, and finally, the massive change in the status of women in post-revolution Iran. Along with these seismic shifts, for Moji, there are also the universal perils of love, sexuality, and adolescence. However, since Moji's school is centered on political indoctrination, even a young girl's innocent crush can mean catastrophe. Is Moji able to pull through? Will her family come to her rescue? And just like Scheherazade, will the power of stories help her prevail?"--

Book Synopsis

A young girl grows up in a family uprooted by the terror of an Islamic Revolution, where her culture, her gender, and her education are in peril.

For the curious and imaginative Moji, there is no better place to grow up than the lush garden of her grandparents in Tehran. However, as she sits with her sister underneath the grapevines, listening to their grandfather recount the enchanting stories of One Thousand and One Nights, revolution is brewing in her homeland. Soon, the last monarch of Iran will leave the country, and her home and her family will never be the same.

From Moji's house on Sun Street, readers experience the 1979 Iranian revolution through the eyes of a young girl and her family members during a time of concussive political and social change. Moji must endure the harrowing first days of the violent revolution, a fraught passage to the US where there is only hostility from her classmates during the Iranian hostage crisis, her father's detainment by the Islamic Revolutionary Army, and finally, the massive change in the status of women in post-revolution Iran.

Along with these seismic shifts, for Moji, there are also the universal perils of love, sexuality, and adolescence. However, since Moji's school is centered on political indoctrination, even a young girl's innocent crush can mean catastrophe. Is Moji able to pull through? Will her family come to her rescue? And just like Scheherazade, will the power of stories help her prevail?

Review Quotes

"This is a coming-of-age story that has a lot to teach readers and will appeal to adults and teens alike."--Booklist

"Mojgan Ghazirad's stellar debut novel is based on her own harrowing experience growing up in Tehran during the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Through the eyes of young Moji, we witness the fear, her family's travel to the U.S. and their eventual return when Iran is at war with Iraq, and the oppressive changes to her country because of it."--Ms. Magazine

"Mojgan Ghazirad's debut novel is a polished gem for readers across age groups . . . an unforgettable journey through history, the pains of growing up, and the power of storytelling."--Elizabeth DeNoma, for Shelf Awareness

"A tender, meditative debut that examines one family's experience of the Iranian Revolution. Bravely delves into politics, religion, sexuality, culture, family bonds and friendships. Beautiful and elegiac."--Chinelo Okparanta, Under the Udala Trees and Harry Sylvester Bird

"I have known Mojgan Ghazirad's work for years, and I am thrilled that others are now going to have the opportunity to experience it. Mojgan is a writer of an incredible power and grace. The House on Sun Street is as timely as it is timeless, full of unforgettable characters, harrowing moments, and the struggles of a young girl to make sense of a world set aflame."--Wiley Cash, When Ghosts Come Home and A Land More Kind Than Home

"Lives that have been ruptured by revolution, war, and the cruel whims of autocracy are explored with deep tenderness and refreshing honesty in this novel about a young girl's coming of age in Iran. As Moji experiences the pull of first love and an adolescence shaped by political turmoil, the bonds of a loving family and power of ancient stories sustain her. A beautiful debut."--Marjan Kamali, The Stationery Shop

About the Author

Mojgan Ghazirad is a medical doctor and currently works as an assistant professor of pediatrics at The George Washington University. She holds an MFA in creative writing and has published three collections of short stories in Farsi. Her essays have appeared in Michigan Quarterly Review, Idaho Review, Longreads, The Common, Bombay Review, and Assignment. She lives with her family in Great Falls, Virginia.