Revolutionary Ride: On the Road in Search of the Real Iran

by Lois Pryce

'Warm, funny . . . It's had my whole family howling with laughter and shedding a few tears' - Shappi Khorsandi, Guardian'A proper travelogue - a joyful, moving and stereotype-busting tale' - National Geographic Traveller, Books of the YearIn 2011, at the height of tension between the British and Iranian governments, travel writer Lois Pryce found a note left on her motorcycle outside the Iranian Embassy in I wish that you will visit Iran so you will see for yourself about my country. WE ARE NOT TERRORISTS!!! Please come to my city, Shiraz. It is very famous as the friendliest city in Iran, it is the city of poetry and gardens and wine!!!Your Persian friend,HabibIntrigued, Lois decides to ignore the official warnings against travel (and the warnings of her friends and family) and sets off alone on a 3,000 mile ride from Tabriz to Shiraz, to try to uncover the heart of this most complex and incongruous country. Along the way, she meets carpet sellers and drug addicts, war veterans and housewives, doctors and teachers - people living ordinary lives under the rule of an extraordinarily strict Islamic government.Revolutionary Ride is the story of a people and a country. Religious and hedonistic, practical and poetic, modern and rooted in tradition - and with a wild sense of humour and appreciation of beauty despite the comparative lack of freedom - this is real contemporary Iran.*Shortlisted for the Adventure Travel Book of the Year Award*'Within a few pages I'd recognised a kindred spirit' - Dervla Murphy, author of Full Tilt

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Iran, Motorcycle, Memoir, Middle East, Adventure

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 12, 2017

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Britain and Iran have always had a turbulent relationship, and in 2011 just after the latest tit-for-tat diplomatic storm Lois came back to her motorcycle and found a note stuck to it:

... I wish that you will visit Iran so you will see for yourself about my country. WE ARE NOT TERRORISTS!!! Please come to my city, Shiraz. It is very famous as the friendliest city in Iran, it is the city of poetry and gardens and wine!!!
Your Persian friend,

Habib

Being the adventurous sort, she has ridden across down through Africa and all the way up from South America to Alaska, this unofficial invitation to a country that very little of us know anything about, was too much to resist. Perhaps, she might even be able to meet the man who wrote the note. When most people think of Iran, the things that come to mind is the Iran – Iraq war and the boggle-eyed fanatics that seem to delight in setting western flags alight. Against the official advice of don’t travel there and to the horror of her friends and family, she applies for a visa. Amazingly, it is granted. Crossing the border from Turkey by train, her first Iranian city was Tabriz and the beginning of her 3,000 mile motorcycle ride around the enigmatic country that is Iran. The people that she encountered on her travels came from all walks of life; there are students, soldiers, housewives, teachers and even drug addicts.

It is a country of stark contrasts; ancient and modern, pragmatic and whimiscal. She comes to understand the juxtaposition between the strict Islamic control that the mullahs and Revolutionary Guards enforce, and the warm, welcoming and generous people who share their homes and lives with her and we learn how the real people live behind closed doors and how they feel about their country. It is a brave journey too given the attitude towards women, in particular solo Western women. There is one heart stopping moment in the book, though thankfully Pryce was seen as a curiosity and a welcome visitor to the country most of the time. Pryce immerses herself in the country and the warm, welcoming experience of Iran that she brings us is rich and engaging, making this well written account an excellent travel book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book worked well for me in the sense that I could pick it up and put it down at various times over a few weeks. Unfortunately, that makes it more difficult to review afterwards. My inclination if possible would have been to give the book 3.5 stars, based on a feeling that it moved more slowly than it should have? Can't really put my finger on that though. Anyway...


Pryce is a very good travel writer, which I knew from enjoying previous books. She has a terrific sense of place, so that one doesn't need to visit Iran directly to feel themselves in the moment with her. If you feel it seems like an interesting book that you think you'd like, you probably would.

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won a free copy of this book in a Goodreads giveaway, which, I suppose, may bias me in its favor. Or rather, "favour," since this is a British book.

In 2011, shortly after the British Embassy in Tehran had been stormed and set on fire and the staff evicted from the country, Great Britain ordered the closure of the Iranian Embassy in London by way of retaliation. Lois Pryce returned to her parked motorcycle to find a note on it that began, "Dear Sir. I have seen your motorbike and I think that you have traveled to many countries. But I wonder, have you been to my country? That is Iran. It is very beautiful and the Persian people are the most welcoming in the world ..." The note mentions the Embassy closures as a matter between governments, not the people, and urges her to visit the country and see for herself.

Obviously she ended up going. The note writer (who signed himself "Habib") was not exaggerating. Despite being a female traveling by herself, she was welcomed almost universally wherever she went. There were occasional spots of trouble, but they were notably rare. She traveled to Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, rode along the shore of the Caspian Sea, visited the ruins of Persepolis ... The people she met were spirited and fun-loving, warm and friendly, not at all the picture of a people repressed by religion that many outsiders would picture. Be warned: reading of her adventures will give you itchy feet.

One quote that I greatly enjoyed: "The similarity [of the desert along the road to Yadz] to Utah or New Mexico was uncanny, but it wasn't the only aspect of Iran that reminded me of America. The two countries had far more similarities than either would care to admit; both maligned and misunderstood, tarnished in the eyes of the world by a minority of religious fundamentalists and obstreperous politicians, but in truth, populated by generous, hospitable people, endlessly innovative and industrious with a truly astounding capacity for vast portions of food." She has a way of writing that makes you feel as if you're there with her, and her vibrant portrait of the country is a welcome antidote to the fear mongering rhetoric that seems all too typical these days. Highly recommended!

[Samar Nasseri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible insight into what Iran is really like, written in a fun and heartfelt way. As an Iranian, it was particularly interesting to read and I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to learn more about the country.

[David Canford · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’d like to know more about Iran than the news headlines, you should enjoy this book. The plucky female author tours it on her motorbike, though there’s probably not enough about her bike for motorcycle fans. She finds the people to be mainly friendly and very hospitable, wishing to be free of the oppressive mullahs and their “Revolutionary Guard” who ruthlessly put down any protest. It’s hard to know how representative a section of society she met and if their views would command a majority if a free and fair election were ever held.
I was sorry when the book ended; I had found it so interesting. Sadly I fear any change may well not come peacefully and the country could turn into another Syria.

[thereadytraveller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pryce takes us on an interesting motorcycle ride through northwest and central Iran having mad ea decision to travel the country after finding a passionate note from an Iranian pinned to her motorbike whilst outside the Iranian Embassy in London.

Navigating the all too real difficulties of procuring a Visa for a British national at the time (in 2014) and the madness of Iranian driving, Pryce's at times unnerving journey is well written and does a nice job of illustrating the wonderful hospitality showered on travellers to this amazing country. Also relayed is the general sense that most of whom she meets are anti the current political establishment, yet down-trodden to an extent that little can be expected to change in the near future.

A good read that provides some insights into the current climate in Iran, its people and the sights on offer.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished: 22.08.2018
Genre: non-fiction travel writing
Rating: A
#20WorldFromMyArmchair
Conclusion:
Traveling is always an adventure
but Lois Pryce has taken it to a new level:
a woman on a solo motorcycle journey
...through the Middel East, Iran.
What will she come up against? How will she cope?
This is an impressive piece of travel writing!
Trivia: Shortlisted E. Stanford Travel Book of the Year 2017


Review

[Thebooktrail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visit the locations in the novel

One of the most interesting and honest travelogues I’ve had the pleasure to read. Riding through the Iranian desert on a motorcycle is not the kind of thing I would ever think of to do but it would be an epic experience to do it. I now feel I have as Lois is as affable and as friendly as I hope any travel companion would be.

She questions her own beliefs about the Muslim culture and religion, her Western values, her new discoveries, the new people she meets and her sense of adventure is great. Some strange experiences and some somewhat dangerous ones mingle with moments of amazement and sheer delight.

Most of people she meets are lovely and it’s great to meet such colourful characters. There’s lots of moments of history, anecdotes and insights into her doubts and misgivings which adds to the tension of the whole journey. I found this honest and raw, and I’m impressed with this traveller’s taste for the unknown and an affinity with her surroundings.

Have since been lucky enough to meet Lois and she’s as lovely as she comes across in this book! A real explorer with a heartfelt desire to see the real country and she succeeds. The face of Iran is not one we often get to see in this way but this book really shines a light on its beauty.

[Prayash Giria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A straightforward and likeable travelogue that makes a sincere attempt to capture the culture and psyche of everyday Iranians, and emphasise how the country is much more than the propaganda that surrounds it. While the book does begin to feel a little repetitive, what with chapter upon chapter devoted the gracious hospitality of Iranians towards a complete stranger and their resigned annoyance with the Islamist regime, it does a great job of balancing it all with an outsider’s measured musings and authentic confusion. I also liked how it helped articulate the challenges faced by female solo travellers, let alone overlanders - as a male who often travels solo, it was quite sobering to read it all up. Any white male writer would’ve probably turned a trip like this into fodder for self-mythologising with a generous sprinkling of pseudo-introspection, but this book remains quite refreshing in its simplicity, and its prioritising of the place instead of the visitor.

[Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lois Pryce, an experienced round-the-world motorcycle traveller, parks her bike outside the Iranian embassy in London and returns to find a note attached, saying "We are not all terrorists! I am from Shiraz, the most hospitable city in the world. Come and visit us!". So eventually she does just that, and this book is the result. It was very unusual for a woman to travel on her own, and it was before the Iran deal increased tourism, but it gives an excellent picture of ordinary life in Iran, and the disconnect between the government and the people. Would WE want to be judged by Our government? I think not. Lois is obviously an intrepid and observant traveller, but she gives a good account of the variety of people she meets and the contradictions in the complex Iranian personality.
Because I hope to visit Iran later this year, and to go to the four cities Lois visits, I found this an invaluable 'taster'. It makes me all the keener to travel there.

[Apratim Mukherjee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lois Pryce made me sit on her motorcycle and made me ride from Tabriz to Shiraz and I could see Iran through a woman's eyes. I really admire the fact that a woman rode a bike in Iran and write in detail such lucidly about her journey without using a cuss word in her text. Its a must read for all travelers who want to experience a country called Iran.

[Augustine Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is something every motoring enthusiast aspires to do someday. She has kicked all the stereotypes out of the park in this book with an amazing story line, cultural experiences and about the people of Iran. After reading this I am curious to explore this nation.

[Alyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt an immediate affinity and kinship with Lois Pryce. While this subsided slightly at times, I still finished the book wishing she would be my travel companion one day.

Revolutionary Ride is an honest and unabashed journey through Iran, from the pov of a white, middle class British woman. She is adventurous, open-minded, and honest about her own prejudices and fears about her journey.

It's a remarkable journey (I so want to go to Iran now!), and Pryce handles herself (and her biases) well, even when it would be easier to just give up or hang out in a more comfortable setting a few days longer. She pushes herself every day to really learn about the people and the culture around her, and while she and the people she meets along the way usually walk away the better for each interaction, us readers are the real winners every time.

The Persian people we encounter throughout the travels/book are almost all wonderful and friendly people. But most have a thoroughly depressing air of hopelessness around them: they have resigned themselves to life under a leader they hate, having to follow archaic rules they disagree with, and being viewed by an outside world that seems to be increasingly uninformed and uneducated, about the region and the people. In many ways the ennui that sets in is a global epidemic in the modern world,

"They are scared, but it not just that. Life in Iran is bad in many ways, but in some ways, for many people, it is quite comfortable, just comfortable enough for them to not want to, how would you say, "rock the boat"?" (p78)

This is how tyrannies are built, and this is how they remain in control. And it's very depressing, not just for the wonderful people we meet in Pryce's book, but for the world as a whole. Pryce's journey was remarkable, and it is good that she made it, wrote about it, and published it. And while I was enchanted by the amazing people and culture of the Persian country, I also found it depressing that most people she talked to had simply given up - decided that nothing was going to change, so why bother (a feeling I, as an American, have been feeling for too many years as well).

If I have one complaint about this book, it really was an inevitability: she tries to understand the 21st century Persian culture and people through the analytical framework of a 21st century UK-citizen. Insisting on viewing the world (or at least Iranians) through the filter of British customs and etiquette comes across as foolish. Often (too often) she will marvel at what she sees as irreconcilable contradictions in the people and customs she encounters - muslims eating bacon and drinking, most often - and she doesn't understand how such a paradox can exist. This seems like an out of character naivete, and one rooted in ignorance about one specific religion/culture. I take it as fairly common knowledge that some catholic people eat meat on Fridays, and that often non-orthodox/conservative Jewish people don't keep kosher. Many people I have met consider their "religions" to be more a cultural identity than a strict code of mandates; I have met catholic and jewish people who, while identifying as catholic or jewish, are athiests or agnostics in their religious convictions. This inability/unwillingness to separate the muslim culture from the muslim religion was frequent throughout the book, and it was annoying that Pryce did not even consider this a possibility in the Muslim religion. This doesn't detract too much from the book overall (still 5 stars!), but it was distracting and disappointing.

[Ditta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein toller Reisebericht einer Frau, die in der Lage ist, ihr Abenteuer im Iran reflektiert wiederzugeben. Sie ist sich bewusst, dass die Menschen, die sie offenherzig mit ihrem Motorrad aufnahmen, nur ein Teil der iranischen Gesellschaft sind. Der Teil, den die momentane Regierung nicht unterstützt. Price ist sich aber bewusst, dass es auch Hardliner in der Bevölkerung des Iran gibt. Leute, die eine allein reisende Frau mit Motorrad skandalös finden, was sie am eigenen Leib erfahren muss. Ein Aspekt der im Buch „Couchsurfing im Iran“ beispielsweise gänzlich ausgespart wurde. Die Autorin ist demnach in der Lage ein sehr diversifiziertes Bild der komplexen Bevölkerung darzustellen. Die einzigen, die als durchweg positiv erlebt wurden, sind Irans Frauen. Aber was will man auch in einem feministischen Reisebericht anderes erwarten 😉

[CURTIS NUGENT · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all, this is NOT a motorcycle travel book. A motorcycle is the chosen form of transport, but it is not essential to the book. This book is more about the people of Iran than anything else. The theme could be stated as "People are not their government." Most of the people Lois meets dislikes their current leaders and are not afraid to tell her, a British female, about it.

In the past I have been turned off by some British travel authors due to their political rantings with everything they disagree with. I read in one book (I won't name the author) that the Mexicans were too Catholic and should be more atheistic like the British. There are times when Lois lets her biases show, but she keeps them pretty well in check.

A recommended book if you are interested in this part of the world.

[Ted Hessler · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really a motorcycle adventure

I have read several of the author's motorcycle adventure books and loved them. That is until I bought this one. It is a well researched book on a westerner's travels in Iran and how the Iranian people are at odds with their restrictive government. Certainly an adventure for Lois, but not much of a motorcycle adventure. Too much political conjecture, not enough time on the bike.

[Isadora Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely perspective-changing; I loved every minute of it. And thank you Holly for choosing it for me ;)

[Monerl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dieses Buch ist wahrlich eine Offenbarung! Es öffnet die Augen und macht deutlich, wie negativ die Berichterstattung über den Iran in unseren Zeitungen, im Fernsehern und im Netz ist. Kaum fällt das Wort Iran, werden wir von einem negativen Gefühl und von schlechten Gedanken und Geschichten überflutet. Und doch wissen wir eigentlich nichts über die Menschen, die dort Leben, wer sie sind, wie sie sind, wie sie leben und wie sie über den Westen denken.

Lois Pryce hat sich aufgrund einer ungewöhnlichen Einladung, die an ihr Motorrad gepinnt war, auf den Weg in den Iran gemacht, um zu erkunden, ob der Einlader recht hat mit seiner Behauptung:

"... WIR SIND KEINE TERRORISTEN!!! Bitte kommen Sie in meine Stadt Schiraz. Sie gilt überall als die freundlichste Stadt Irans, sie ist die Stadt der Dichtkunst und des Weins!!! Ihr persischer Freund Habib" (Seite 12)

Lois fasst Mut, stürzt sich in die Bürokratie für die Visabeantragung und schließlich betreten ihre Füße tatsächlich iranischen Boden. Und ihr Motorrad hat sie auch dabei. Nun blickt sie nach vorne. Sie hat ein paar Wochen, in denen sie Land und Leute erforschen und kennenlernen kann. Sie ist zuversichtlich, aber so ganz konnte sie die Sorgen und Warnungen der Mitmenschen, denen sie über ihren Trip in den Iran berichtet hat, nicht abschütteln.

Gegen alle Voraussagen, brennt nach 4 erlebnisreichen Wochen ihr Herz für dieses Land und seine Menschen. Sie möchte in die Welt hinausposaunen, welch Woge der Menschlichkeit sie überrollt hat, die sie "in dieser Form nirgends auf der Welt erlebt hat." (Seite 314). Wie fantastisch muss es sein, wenn man am Ende einer Reise sagt:

"Der Iran hatte mich auf eine essenzielle Weise verändert. Das Land hatte Hirn, Herz und Seele bei mir neu ausgerichtet, und das ist sicherlich das beste Resultat eines Abenteuers." (Seite 315)

Nachdem ich es mir als virtuelle Sozia auf dem Rücksitz des Motorrads gemütlich gemacht habe, war ich begeistert von den Menschen, ihrer Aufgeschlossenheit und Gastlichkeit, denen die Autorin begegnet war. Obwohl sie permanent auf dem Präsentierteller stand, eine ausländische, motorradfahrende Frau mit leuchtend roten Haaren, wurde sie die meiste Zeit weder angefeindet noch gemieden oder attackiert. Bis auf drei negative und recht gefährliche Vorfälle, wurde alles dafür getan, um ihr den Aufenthalt so schön und angenehm wie möglich zu machen.

Eine weitere sehr positive Erfahrung für Lois als auch für mich war, dass sie ihre Vorstellung von iranischen Frauen revidieren musste. Sie waren keineswegs unterdrückte und kuschende Frauen. Eine Menge ist gebildet, berufstätig, arbeiten in gehobenen Berufen wie Ärztinnen und Anwältinnen. Im Iran studieren mehr Frauen als Männer. Shirin, eine Frau, die Lois kennengelernt hat, fasste dies prägnant zusammen:

>>"Im Westen denken die Leute, wir würden uns alle unter schwarzen Tschadors verstecken", "Dass wir unseren Männern gehorchen, dass wir nicht Auto fahren oder arbeiten gehen dürfen. Ich glaube, die Leute verwechseln uns mit Saudi-Arabien!"<< (Seite 102)

Abgesehen von den Menschen, die sehr viel Lebensfreude versprühen und zu jeder Zeit versuchen das Maximum für sich an Lebensqualität herauszuholen, kann die Autorin auch das Land ganz wunderbar vor Augen bringen. Der Iran, das ehemalige Persien, tiefe, historisch getränkte Geschichte über Königreiche, Handelsstraßen, Kultur, Dichter unvm. Habib, der mysteriöse Einlader hat nicht übertrieben. Das Schönste zum Schluss, die Stadt Schiraz. Lois gelingt es die Andersartigkeit der Heimatstadt der Dichter Hafis und Saadi zu beschreiben. Sie strahlt einen besonderen Esprit aus, eine gewisse Leichtigkeit und Freiheit, die den anderen Städten fehlt. Woran es liegt, kann wohl keiner sagen. Doch diese Stadt pulsiert anders.

Fazit:
Ich habe durch Lois Pryce viel gelernt und auch ich muss meine Meinung nun über den Iran und seine Menschen revidieren. Wie gerne würde ich in ihre Haut schlüpfen und nachfühlen und sehen, was sie erlebt hat. Ich bin sehr, sehr froh, dass man auch hier wieder bestätigt bekommt, dass wir nie Menschen und ihr Regime in den gleichen Topf werfen dürfen! Es ist wichtig aufgeschlossen zu bleiben, der negativen Dauerbeschallung von unseren Medien und der Politik nicht blind zu vertrauen und manchmal ein Risiko zu wagen, um so reich belohnt werden zu können wie Lois Pryce.
Dies ist ein Buch, das große Aufmerksamkeit verdient hat, da es zur Völkerverständigung beiträgt und eines meiner großen Lesehighlight in 2018 ist. Absolute Leseempfehlung!

[Tamela Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wrote an extensive review of this, first published in the BMW magazine, "On the Level." Highlights of that review:

Just days after the November 2011 bombing of the British Embassy in Tehran, intrepid motorcycle traveler Lois Pryce found a note on her Yamaha TTR250, which was parked near the Iranian embassy in London. It read:

Dear Sir,
I have seen your motorbike and I think that you have travelled to many countries. But I wonder, have you been to my country? That is Iran. It is very beautiful and the Persian people are the most welcoming in the world. Please do not think of what has happened here and in Tehran. These are our governments, not the Iranian people. WE ARE NOT TERRORISTS! I wish that you will visit Iran so you will see for yourself about my country. WE ARE NOT TERRORISTS!!! Please come to my city, Shiraz. It is very famous as the friendliest city in Iran, it is the city if poetry and gardens and wine!!!

Your Persian friend,
Habib

Now that’s an invitation to adventure!

Although Lois had motorcycled the length of North and South America solo, and from London to Cape Town via many Muslim countries in North Africa, she faced several obstacles that Habib had not considered. I’m not sure he would have made the invitation had he known the owner of the little Yamaha was a woman. After all, Iranian women are forbidden to ride bicycles and motorcycles in their country, although foreign women are technically allowed to do so.

Technically.

We Americans know that the Iranian government refers to our country as the “Great Satan,” but most of us are unaware that the title “Little Satan” is bestowed upon the Brits. Would Lois be putting a target on her back as a woman riding a motorcycle with British license plates through the country?

As Lois researched what she came to call the “Habib Challenge,” she took comfort and inspiration from her fellow British author and traveler, Freya Stark. In 1930s Freya spent much of her life in the Middle East—including Iran (then called Persia).

Lois’ first challenge was the condition placed upon her visa—that she must travel on public transportation, not a private vehicle. Where’s the fun in that? She not only defied the condition, she brought her bike with her.

Before boarding the train from Turkey to the Iranian border, her bike is inspected for hours. Finally aboard, she is singled out by the police for questioning, fingerprinting, and entry to Interpol’s database. The tension mounts as the train rattles on; will she be thrown in the notorious Evin Prison for defying the conditions of her visa? For taking a photo? For not wearing the headscarf properly?

Until reading Lois’ account of her travels in "Revolutionary Ride: On the Road in Search Of the Real Iran," I didn’t fully appreciate that the same Persian spirit of independence that conceived the Islamic Republic now encourages everyday acts of low-level subversion to its strictures. Lois the unaccompanied motorcyclist, gets the inside scoop.

Two of her hosts, Omid and Tala, took her into their social milieu, drinking alcohol, listening to illegal hip-hop and heavy metal music, and partying sans headscarf. “‘I can get you bacon if you want,’ offered Omid, with the sneaky wink of a playground drug dealer...The authorities know exactly what goes on,’ said Omid…’They organize all the smuggling, the booze, the satellite TV, prostitution; it’s a big racket run by the Revolutionary Guards. And everyone knows it.’”

Lois concludes, “For me, this was the most important theme of my journey; the government and its people are separate entities. Making this separation felt important, on both sides.”

Lois’ Twitter bio refers to her as a “Persophile, a lover of Persian culture, history, and people. When you read Revolutionary Ride it’s easy to see why.

[Nazrul Buang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished reading 'Revolutionary Ride: On the Road in Search of the Real Iran' (2018, first published in 2016) by Lois Pryce. I decided to get a copy of this book after reading rave reviews of it, praising it as a book that accurately depicts the actual lifestyle of contemporary Iran as opposed to how the general (Western) media negatively paint it.

Former BBC journalist Lois Pryce's book reads more like a diary more than anything, lest a report. As a travel writer, she writes her firsthand experiences in Iran, and details her thoughts and feelings with such sincerity that it's hard not to fall in love with the plucky biker and her fiercely admirable passion for independent travel. You can even tell that the writer penned her experiences on the road itself, as she vividly elaborates how she overcame every hurdle with a combination of her wits, determination and strokes of luck along with the unrestrained hospitality of the locals.

At the same time, it also reads like an anthropological documentary, as she follows of her preceding idol Freya Stark by observing the cultures and ways of the locals, and attempting to understand the rationale and motives of the people. Pryce aims to dispel the myth of Iran as a dangerous and hateful country, and instead reveals it an anti-establishment land of paradox, challenging deeply ingrained preconceptions towards a country that has been vilified as a misogynistic and ultraconservative theocratic society. Her book exposes the true sentiments of the people "on the ground" and how the country has shaped their lives, for better or worse.

Moreover, 'Revolutionary Ride' offers plentiful and informative nuggets of historical and political lessons of Iran and its turbulent relationship with the western world, especially the UK and US, and juxtaposes them with contemporary daily Iranian life to illustrate the differences between the country then and now. It somewhat reminds me of Brandon Stanton's 'The Humans of New York', where everyone has a unique story to tell.

Pryce's trip to Iran is the epitome of the definition of 'adventure': unexpected, exciting, sometimes even perilous but never boring, her personal experiences that ranges from terrifying to joyous and even elated, is wholly inspiring. It's a travel journal that readers would fall in love with, and a real-life novel that compels people to travel to Iran and witness the true face of the country, embracing every facet of it. Her experiences are embodied into this book, which showcases the spirit of adventure and essence of travel embraced by Pryce: making and learning from one's mistakes, believing in yourself to overcome any hurdle that comes in one's way, believing in the kindness of strangers and the good of mankind, and the optimistic belief that no matter what happens, everything will turn out fine eventually

This is one of the best books I've ever read and one that has basically inspired me to go on an Iranian adventure on my own. In fact, even on its own merit, it's clearly one of my top 5 books of 2018. I strongly encourage all wanderlusters to read this book and understand Pryce's sheer love story for Iran. Thank you so much for sharing your experience; I hope now I can do the same time when it's my turn to visit the beautiful country of Iran.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Isfahan is half the world" ~ Persian proverb

Lois Pryce recounts her motorcycle journey across Iran in her enjoyable travelogue, Revolutionary Ride. Pryce crosses into Iran from Turkey by train and rides from Tabriz to Tehran via the shores of the Caspian Sea, before heading south for Isfahan, Yazd and Shiraz. Her adventure is mercifully free of tyre punctures and faulty spark plugs, punctuated instead by the kindness of strangers.

Revolutionary Ride is vulnerable in a way that travelogues by men generally are not. Pryce encounters proud Azeri men reciting poetry and ambitious Persian women running their own businesses, but also experiences real moments of mortal danger. She runs afoul of the fearsome Revolutionary Guard while caught in Tehran traffic, and fights off a meth addict in Iran’s very own Breaking Bad countryside. She takes the reader on those momentary journeys with her -- and back again, thankfully -- without losing sight of the optimism that led her to Iran in the first place. She returns again and again to the idea that Iran, reflected by the people she meets, is simply more real than other places. Where else would a truck driver almost run you off the road simply to hand you some of his lunch? Where else would a librarian, moonlighting as a taxi driver, interrupt his day to take you on a historic tour then invite you to meet his family over dinner?

Pryce threads a narrative needle through her diverse experiences with insights not only into Iranians, but into the Islamic Republic under which they live. She meets the men in the middle — almost always men — profiting as much from transgressors as they do the true believers, taking advantage of Iranians who must choose every day between compliance and defiance, living in perpetual uncertainty. They do so under puritanical austerity. “If oppression is a dish that must be served with a side order," Pryce says, "then let it be glamour and excess rather than religion and hypocrisy.”

Most travelogues follow a similar pattern, and in this sense, Revolutionary Ride is far from revolutionary. Pryce experiences the classic chance encounter that inspires her trip, in the form of an anonymous note on her motorcycle, along with the disparate wisdoms and peculiarities offered by another culture, and the inevitable conclusion that people the world over are basically the same. Pryce also adheres to another time-honoured travelogue tradition: following in the footsteps of another, in this case British trailblazer Freya Stark. She nevertheless avoids needless self-indulgence and detests wide-eyed naiveté, successfully traversing the delicate balance between miserable loneliness and liberating solitude found in solo travel.

Travelling with friends and family often means your journey doesn't need a theme: it will take shape over time, like a bas-relief sculpture excavated from ancient sands. Solo travel, however, requires you to think carefully about your own theme, and Pryce is wise to draw on Freya Stark: “to feel, and think, and learn -- learn always, surely that is being alive.”

[Abbie Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lois returned to her parked up bike in London one day to find a note from a mysterious Iranian, trying to reassure her that his country and people should not be represented by its government (and what country should?) and that he wished she would go to Iran to see the wonders of his homeland for herself. There was no connection between Lois or the letter-leaver, and thus Lois was intrigued. Needless to say, she and her trusty bike made their way to Iran and explored as much of the country as her limited visa would allow.

I love this book so much because not only is Lois' energy and excitement evident in every single word, painting a beautiful picture of the vast Iranian mountains and wonderful Persian cities, but I truly believe this is a very important book that we should all read. Because Lois highlights the good and the bad experiences, you can get a real flavour of way things can be out there. So many of the Iranians Lois meets are overflowing with hospitality, and genuine friendliness and curiosity, reading about them feels like your soul is smiling with the humanity of it all.

At the same time though,there is also the fair share of unpleasentness - as there is in every travel adventure. This has the effect of reminding us on the one hand that Iran is like every other country and has its good and bad spots, but because Revolutionary Ride is one book dedicated to one country, Lois has the workspace to also provide much more historical and political context than in the other books. Some of things I learned about reading this book were crushing, and the effect historical events has had on the people of Iran over the years were heartbreaking. There is tenacity of spirit, but there is also resignation - and I feel like my heart is on an emotional rollercoaster just remembering reading about it. I can't imagine how confusing and emotionally draining it must have been for Lois, flitting from one extreme of humanity to the other in a matter of minutes.

The important thing is that Lois loved her time in Iran, and has shared her experience in a wonderfully engaging, beautifully written book. Lois switches between the narrative of her travels and historical context perfectly, so you're never left returning to the action wondering where you left off. Her books truly feel like you are sitting down over the course of a long summer evening, catching up with a friend over their recent travels. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, or express how important I think it is that given the way the world is right now, we all read the experiences of someone who is most aptly placed to try and describe the truer nature of a people - a traveller.

[Preethi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written book, and the author's obvious joy at being on the road by herself on her powerful dirt bike which gives her autonomy over her movements in a country with terrains like Iran's , and her delight at discovering various layers of society that are otherwise common to an Asian country but take a deeper meaning in an isolated country like Iran (trust on neighbors, blatant sexism, mistrust of authorities, forced hijab for women) are visible through the writing.

For me, this book took an extra meaning because of the current anti-hijab protests related to Mahsi Amini's death. I've always been fascinated by Iran - partly because it was on the Silk Route which I hope to traverse someday and also partly because of the Persian influence in India that I've seen growing up and as an adult in Hyderabad. I've loved all the Persian references even in our everyday spoken language. And also because this is the one country that has been proven hard to get to. And from all the stories of Iran I've heard of friends say, I've been fascinated to visit the place.

I was also struck by the romanticism involved in how this book came about to be. I imagined myself to be that Habib who put that note on Pryce's motorbike, I'd have done that if I was stricken with grief on how my motherland was portrayed in western media. Coz a country is not its government, it is what the people make of it. And there cannot be just one story for a country.

That's why, it makes sense when Pryce says that there are two images of Iran in everyone's minds - one that of today's Iranian government and another of the kind, gentle, wise Iranian people with their vast influences on language, culture and architecture on various parts of the world.

Must read this boo for anyone interested in world affairs. This book fits into both social commentary and travel genres and helps spread awareness on countries like Iran, especially to beat the dangers of believing in single stories.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Es beginnt mit einem Zettel, den ein Mann namens Habib an Lois' Motorrad hängt. Es ist eine Einladung in den Iran, um das Heimatland des Unbekannten besser kennen zu lernen und

Nach der Einladung des Fremden mach sich Lois direkt auf den Weg. Nichts kann sie davon abhalten, auch die Tatsache dass ihr vorhaben eigentlich nicht erlaubt ist. Aber eine nette Dame im Amt macht die Einreise trotzdem möglich und so machen sich Lois und ihr Motorrad mit viel Optimismus und erschreckend wenig Vorbereitung auf den Weg.

Die mangelnde Vorbereitung steht ihr manchmal im Weg. Einmal muss sie auf einem verschneiten Pass umkehren, weil sie nicht auf die Warnungen der Einheimischen gehört hat. In Städten verfährt sie sich öfter, weil sie die Schilder nicht lesen kann und auch manchmal abgelenkt ist. Dass ihr nichts Schlimmes passiert ist, ist da fast eine Überraschung. Manchmal hatte ich allerdings das Gefühl, dass sie sich nur an die schönen Dinge erinnert oder erinnern will und alles Unangenehme ausblendet.


So oberflächlich die Reisebeschreibungen teilweise waren, so lebendig waren die Beschreibungen von den Menschen, die Lois getroffen hat. Da achtet sie auf Details, stellt intelligente und warmherzige Fragen und interpretiert nichts in die Aussagen der Leute hinein. Sie trifft sich mit den unterschiedlichsten Personen und hat mir so zumindest einen kleinen Einblick in ein mir unbekanntes Land gegeben.

Trotzdem hat mich das Buch nicht so abgeholt, wie ich es erwartet habe. Es war eine Geschichte, die sehr souverän, aber auch sehr brav erzählt wurde.

[Souvik Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2011, as hardliner protesters in Tehran stormed the British embassy, Britain closed the Iranian embassy in London and rivalry between the two countries flared up. In such a time someone left a note on Pryce's bike inviting her to visit his city of origin, Shiraz and Pryce decided to accept the invitation.

Two years later as she along with her bike crossed the Turkish border to Tabriz and started her journey to Shiraz, she went through the snow-capped mountains of Alborz and The Valley of Assassins, through the crowded and polluted capital of Tehran and open desert roads to the mountains in the west, the Zagros and the city of architecture, Isfahan. What she found is an overtly helping and ambitious populace reeling under the Islamic theocracy. People who got rid of the atrocious rulers of the Shahs only to fall under the atrocity of the Ayatollahs. She realized Iranians are Muslim by religion but Persian by culture. "Never call us Arab".

After passing through the drug-ravaged shanty towns in the open deserts and ancient architectural marvel of the Persepolis as she ended her journey at the city of poets Shiraz where at the Persian gardens of the city people read each other couplets of Habib, she decided she must return to this country and on her next trip as the taxi driver left her in the taxi, only to return with ice cream for her, she realized she loved the country.

[Rosalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the wonderful spirit of this woman as she travels alone in Iran. Lois Pryce expresses the joys, highs and lows of the sole traveller but does not disparage others’ choice of travel, she just lives her way. She appreciates the generosity and company of the people she meets and grasps the opportunity to discuss their dreams and desires for the future of their homeland.
At the same time, she is reading a book written by a previous intrepid writer and traveller called Freya Stark, who seemed to share a similar attitude while travelling alone in that she attempted to travel to see and learn but not to constantly compare with what she had at home or be coloured by her preconceived ideas. It is a powerful commentary on contemporary Iranian society since the author describes her encounters with the variety of people who illuminate the complexities, difficulties and contradictions faced by those living there today.
The book is an easy to read pocket refresher of Persian history, the Iranian revolution and the more recent political turmoil due to trade embargos, it also includes a timeline from 1906 to 2016.
I am so glad to have read this book and am looking forward to my own brief visit to Iran early next year.

[Ceri Fowler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've made myself a cosy reading nook to snuggle down in while I'm at home because I don't have a bedroom at my parents' house (I'm not complaining- I'm far too old for them to keep a space just for me!). The latest thing I've finished reading in it was Lois Pryce's brilliant account of motorbiking across Iran.

Revolutionary Ride is the tale of a wonderful country with great people that is constrained by its repressive government. It's also a fabulous adventure.

Iran is a country I've been fascinated by since studying the Middle East at university. Its history, beauty and politics are incredibly interesting and it's a country that seems to be hideously misrepresented in the West. This came across clearly in Pryce's account and her gift for description allows the country to open up before your eyes. You feel the repression of the Iranian people as they describe it, but you also see how they are a people with a deep and rich culture that deserve better.
A great read by a brilliant adventurer and writer. One of my favourite books so far this year - and after that and the recent Levison Wood documentary, I'm itching to visit Iran!

[Steve Angelkov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally bought this book for a friend at launch.

Lois Pryce’s Revolutionary Ride isn’t your average travel book, it’s a gutsy, funny, and surprisingly heartwarming story of one woman on a motorbike, diving headfirst into the heart of Iran. It's a lovely contrast to the embittered polarising news coverage that we are exposed to.

The trip is inspired by a handwritten note left on her bike outside the Iranian Embassy in London, inviting her to come see “the real Iran.” So, ignoring all the official don’t-go warnings, she jumps on her motorcycle and heads off on a 3,000-mile solo journey across the country.

Pryce writes with a journalist’s eye but never gets preachy. She just soaks in the contrasts: the tension of daily life under a conservative regime, the quiet rebellions, the moments of joy and defiance, and the deep, proud love Iranians have for their culture. Her chats with women are especially powerful—full of honesty, subtle resistance, and humour.

An inspiring tale, told by a very brave and adventurous woman.

[Tiger Coward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I start, I will disclose that I am a Lois Pryce fan, and I loved her first two books.

I loved this one too, but it has a difference that moved me. The last two books entertained and informed me, but they didn't move me the way this one did.

Perhaps it is that her writing has grown through completing two great books, or it could be the current events in Iran and the Middle East, but for sure, this book moved me.

The premise of the book is fantastic. Lois had her motorcycle parked in London, and someone left her a note stuck on her bike. It asked her not to accept what she saw on the news and to visit Iran to experience the country the way the residents do.

What she found was fascinating, both good and bad, with no fluff or candy coating.

This is well worth the read.

Ps. You might as well order the other two and read them in order so that you can understand where she has been and where she is going.

[Tassos Adve · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is not a travel book. The places visited, the itinerary are not clear. Which is kind of frustrating if you are also a motorcycle traveler and you tend to mentally plan trips when reading about them.

It has a bit of British flair that if you are not a British reader, does not seem relevant. At some point gets a bit boring as the format of each chapter is Lois meets stranger -> Lois discusses stuff with stranger -> Lois leaves.

Not a lot of historical data, or dwelling deep in Iranian History and also not very descriptive of flora, fauna, ancient sites etc. It is more like of a recollection of memories of discussions with Iranians (which do not go very deep either).

Kind of repetitive and cliche at times, failing to touch provoking issues, and I understand that, that's not the target (usually) of a motorcycle travel book, but as I said, this is not a motorcycle travel book.

I could stretch it to 3 stars if you are very interested in reading everything about the region.