Dandelions and Roses

Dandelions and Roses well received in Iran and now available in the US was penned by an Iranian ex-patriot. With life-long relations in the US Iran Parand Alavi has remained in close touch with goings-on in the Middle East and global events. The popular novelist's worldwide perspective provides an accurate portrayal of political and familial circumstances facing victims of ill-purposed ideological strife. The realistic modern setting of Alavi's novella serves as backdrop for a romantic fairy tale playing across oceans from Kirkuk to Washington DC. Its major characters a highly respected Kurdish family of low income in their adopted Kirkuk community undergo the ultimate tragedies of living in insurrection-torn Iraq. Their enthralling daughter endures the most savage violence and a most difficult cultural transition to survive psychological devestation. The evolving memory of her violation and ever present obsession with shame and revenge resist her chances at good fortune.