Reading · no one asked by jordanrisa

Knowing what book someone is reading and what parts they resonate with most can be so intimate. It reveals their interests, where their head is at, and what excerpts are so significant that they will mark up a page because they think it’s worth revisiting at a later time. I’m fascinated by what books others gravitate towards and I find that it helps me get to know them better and gives me a small glimpse into who they are at their core. No one asked for these book reviews, but maybe it’s my way of showing who I am and what I’m interested in – beyond the clothes, the products, and my career. Or at the very least, encourage some to look up from their phones and instead towards the pages of a good book.

Book no. 5 of 2026

A story following two girls in Iran whose paths diverge and come back again. It is a story about female friendship, betrayal, mother-daughter relationships and the quest for freedom. While I thought the book could have done with more showing rather than telling, I appreciate the rich political history that the author shares with us about Iran, especially now. I’ve said this before, but it amazes me how a novel could explain a topic seemingly so complicated in such a digestible way.

What resonated with me is the misunderstandings we have about our mothers. That while it is easy to be critical of them (some of it deserved!) what is harder is to understand their motives — that more often than not, they do what they truly believe is best for us, even when we do not agree or see it ourselves.

We see how the mothers in this book do just that, in vastly different ways.

Underlined quotes:

“The sound of laughter — youthful merriment from the belief that the world is set up for your amusement, your pleasure, your plans.”

“What if, I think to myself as I hold tight to my daughter’s hands and spin, What if all goes right?”

“That’s how losses of rights build. They start small. And then soon, the rights are stripped in droves.”

“Not once could I confide in my mother about this pain. I had learned as a young child that I simply didn’t have the kind of mother I could turn to when in despair. I didn’t have the kind of mother who would be understanding… who would listen calmly, who would listen at all.”

“She was imperfect, striving, shallow and infuriating. And yet. She had suffered in ways she had hidden from me for my entire life so far. She did, in her own way, love me more than anything. That much I knew… And it would have to be enough.”

“He said the word teenager in English, emphasizing it in an American accent. There was no good equivalent for the word in Persian that I knew of... We had simply been young people once. We didn’t get the benefit of a phase of life where rebellion and recalcitrance and moodiness were expected or excused.”

“Wishing is one thing. Everyone wishes. But my mom. She doesn’t just wish. She doesn’t dream. She’s a doer.”

“I wish for you not the world, nor the owning of it, nor even success in it. I wish for you the ability to be free.”

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