Reading the summary of Persian Nights (Talking Cub) reminded this writer of Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody (with William Hoffer), a gripping memoir of hers and her daughter’s escape from Iran after 18 months of being held captive by her husband and his family. This title by Singapore-based Alaka Rajan Skinner is a less disturbing account of her childhood in Tehran where her father, originally a teacher at the Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages in Hyderabad, lands a job teaching English at the Tehran University Language Centre.

Aimed at pre-teens and teens, it is a simple retelling of events that rocked Iran from the late 1970s, starting with the Islamic Revolution (1978-79) and later, the Iran-Iraq War (1980-88), and how it impacted Indians in Tehran. Young Alaka and her little brother Kish live a comfortable, secure life surrounded by a large Indian community that forms part of their social circle, complete with picnics and birthday parties. The cultural similarities shared by India and Iran adds to her sense of wonderment. She paints a fascinating picture of life under the Shah’s rule, where Disco music blares out of neighbour’s homes, and women entertainers like Googoosh perform live on television in homes.