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Reza Mashayekhi in his own words:
I was born and raised in Tehran, Iran. After high-school, I first attended the American University of Beirut, and later the University of Michigan, where I received a degree in Aerospace Engineering .
I have been a consulting engineer here in San Diego, but my true passion now is writing and directing. The fact is, I’m sometimes frustrated by the practical limitations of engineering. I therefore use fiction as a far less constrained medium of expression to help me give life to my thoughts and far-reaching imagination. I am presently working on a script for a movie based on some of the short stories I have written.
My writings are mostly inspired by true events. Some of these have actually happened to me, but most are events that I’m aware of without any personal involvement on my part. I start writing about them and then let my imagination take over. You can read more about my books on my website.
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
From Iran to America: Mahnaz and Shirin - A Love Story by Reza Mashayekhi is a simple love story set against the backdrop of growing up in the Middle East and then moving to the United States. Apart from the love angle, the author speaks about the importance of tolerance and the difficulties of adjusting in a foreign land. Some of the incidents are true and the author's personal experiences, while the others are all formed on the basis of his observations. The book starts from the 1950s in Iran and then continues up to the present day in the United States. The story also speaks about the difficulties faced by foreigners who live away from their native countries. It is a story of love and personal observation. The experiences based on everyday living and Iranian society make the story authentic and can be related to very well.
The book is a compelling read. The author has done a great job in bringing the two cultures together and combining them effortlessly. The story has love, loss, humor, sadness, innocence, and many other emotions which make it profound and realistic. The story speaks about the life of a person who is struggling to keep up his identity and culture in a foreign land; at the same time he is trying to adjust to the new place. The character of Mahnaz is portrayed in a manner that she remains in your mind for a long, long time. Though it is a love story, the underlying theme speaks about tolerance of another religion and culture. The author has expressed the stories beautifully so that all the characters come alive in front of you while reading the book.
