Reading Iran Awakening, by Shirin Ebadi was quite timely with all of the news about Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad coming to Columbia University and his denial of the Holocaust. But, this is not about Ahmadubehad. This is the memoir of Shirin Ebadi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. It tells of her traditional life in Iran including childhood, education, and accomplishments as a judge. Ebadi was demoted in the 1979 Islamic Revolution. She was imprisoned, harrassed, and was on an assassination list. She is a national hero who has fought for women's right and a fair judicial system. She has defended democracy, free speech, and the rule of law.

Her big thing is to work within the context of Islam. Many of her cases for human justice have been based on text from the Koran. She writes," In the last twenty-three years, from the day I was stripped of my judgeship to the years doing battle in the revolutionary courts of Tehran, I had repeated one refrain: an interpretation of Islam that is in harmony with equality and democracy is an authentic expression of faith."

She feels that change in Iran must come peacefully and from within. Ebadi states," The West, for its part, has the option of using diplomacy to pressure Iran to change its behavior, from its human rights record inside the country to the nature of its nuclear energy program. ........ I can think of no scenario more alarming , no internal shift more dangerous than that engendered by the West imagining that it can bring democracy to Iran through either military might or the fomentation of violent rebellion."

I wonder what advice she would give our President and her own President if given freedom of speech and the freedom to live without fearing for her life? I would like to be the little fly on the wall. Read this book, I have only summarized some highlights.