We received an email from Marjane Satrapi, the author of PERSEPOLIS, whose memoir is set in Iran and tells the story of Satrapi's early childhood, with its main focus on her life from age ten through fourteen, from 1980 through 1984. As our review on Bookreporter.com says,"Those were particularly turbulent years for Satrapi's native country of Iran, encompassing the overthrow of Mohammed Reza Pahlavi (the Shah of Iran), the installation of the Islamic Republic, and the war with Iraq. The story is told entirely through the eyes of Satrapi, the child, and how these events affected her parents, her relatives, her friends, and herself."

Thus this email from her is from the heart from one who understands the crisis that Iran is facing now all too well.

Dear Friends:

To all who beleive in freedom and democracy...

Please sign this petition to United Nation to stop the violence, arrests and torture in Iran.
The situation is really really bad.

Please forward it to whoever you know.

Best and lots of love
Marjane Satrapi

http://www.petitiononline.com/12June/petition.html

And to prove my point about the fact that reading is not contingent upon the weather I heard that Lucas Glover, who won the U.S. Open today reads three books a week. And that this weekend during all the rain delays, he read. Now, I am wondering WHAT he read. If anyone finds out, let me know!