House of Sand and Fog

I've had this book sitting on my bookshelf for a very long time, but after reading Harry Potter again I decided to give it a shot. I was surprised by just how emotional of a book it was (for me at least). The author does an amazing job juxtaposing the culture and attitude of a wealthy Iranian family with the attitude of a recovering cocaine addict American. I know the two cultures seem to be on the complete opposite sides of the spectrum, but there were a lot of similarities in the aims and desires the two units had. The story was made into a film a while ago, but I have yet to see it. I was intrigued by the book because of the Iranian aspect. Although the family is represented mostly by the father's point of view I learned a lot about the expectations that culture places on reputation and honor. I also realized that I connected with the attitude of the American more easily (something that is not that positive). I would recommend the book to anyone who wants to read an interesting story, or who is interested in the differences of culture. However, the book was rather sexual when the point of view was in the American protagonist Kathy Nicolo.