Rooftops of Tehran

In a middle-class neighborhood of Iran's sprawling capital city, 17-year-old Pasha Shahed spends the summer of 1973 on his rooftop with his best friend Ahmed, joking around one minute and asking burning questions about life the next. He also hides a secret love for his beautiful neighbor Zari, who has been betrothed since birth to another man. But the bliss of Pasha and Zari's stolen time together is shattered when Pasha unwittingly acts as a beacon for the Shah's secret police. The violent consequences awaken him to the reality of living under a powerful despot, and lead Zari to make a shocking choice... "Seraji's wonderful coming-of-age story is at times funny and sweet as well as thought-provoking and heart-wrenching." - Booklist. "Charmingly romantic ... Seraji captures the thoughts and emotions of a young boy and creates a moving portrait of the history and customs of the Persians and life in Iran." - Publisher's Weekly. "Refreshingly filled with love rather than sex, this coming-of-age novel examines the human cost of political repression." - Kirkus