Culture Shock! Iran: A Guide to Customs & Etiquette

Maria O'Shea has written an indispensable book for the visitor to Iran. She manages to combine humor, wit, and ironic distance with the incredible breadth and depth of knowledge about the people and the culture that can only come from living there. Her book will be especially useful to Westerners who have to deal with Iran because she has clearly already done all the homework. She sees the Iranians whole, with all their foibles, but not without affection and an abiding appreciation of a very old culture that is too often misrepresented in the West. It's a good read even if you aren't going there.

This is an excellent introduction to Persian Culture. If you want better, you'll have to spend quite a bit more money. My native Irani friend's native Irani mother said that she was ashamed that a westerner could write so accurately on a subject about which she had forgotten much. She herself ended up reading, enjoying, and praising this book about her own culture. That alone should say it all. While no volume, not even the $3420 Encyclopedia Iranica, could possibly cover everything, O'Shea's book taught me a variety of useful information in an entertaining way, and helped me to understand and appreciate my Irani friends better. This book is best read while interacting frequently with Iranians, otherwise it might not be as enjoyable.