This month the Auburn Afternoon Book Group will read and discuss The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali.

"In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams for a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions of becoming “lion women.”

But their happiness is disrupted when Ellie and her mother are afforded the opportunity to return to their previous bourgeois life. Now a popular student at the best girls’ high school in Iran, Ellie’s memories of Homa begin to fade. Years later, however, her sudden reappearance in Ellie’s privileged world alters the course of both of their lives.

Together, the two young women come of age and pursue their own goals for meaningful futures. But as the political turmoil in Iran builds to a breaking point, one earth-shattering betrayal will have enormous consequences.

“Reminiscent of The Kite Runner and My Brilliant Friend, The Lion Women of Tehran is a mesmerizing tale” (BookPage) of love and courage, and a sweeping exploration of how profoundly we are shaped by those we meet when we are young."

The Auburn Afternoon Book Group primarily reads contemporary fiction but will occasionally include memoirs, classics and narrative nonfiction.

Free and open to the public. Space is limited. Registration is required. To register click the button below or contact the library for assistance. Copies of the book will be available to pick up at the Circulation Desk of the Auburn Branch Library.

Visit cranstonlibrary.org/book-groups to learn about other CPL book groups.

If you require an accommodation or service to fully participate, please contact access@cranstonlibrary.org at least 7 days prior to the event.