What do you think?
Rate this book
The Konar and the Apple: Fun, Beauty, and Dread—From Ahwaz to California
“It’s all about the story.”
So begins Babak Hodjat’s collection of tales in The Konar and the Apple.
An eight-year-old boy assigned the task of throwing flowers during the Shah’s visit. A teenager in boot camp eager to catch episodes of a popular Japanese TV show. An adult coming to the Unites States, ready to make his mark in the tech world.
These are just some of the personal experiences shaping Hodjat’s intimate narrative of a boy growing up in post-revolutionary Iran. The stories paint a picture of a middle-class, westernized boy experiencing all the common—and uncommon—adventures of childhood and self-discovery.
Blending both humor and insight, The Konar and the Apple transcends culture to celebrate the fun, innocence, and anticipation of growing up that unite us all.
So begins Babak Hodjat’s collection of tales in The Konar and the Apple.
An eight-year-old boy assigned the task of throwing flowers during the Shah’s visit. A teenager in boot camp eager to catch episodes of a popular Japanese TV show. An adult coming to the Unites States, ready to make his mark in the tech world.
These are just some of the personal experiences shaping Hodjat’s intimate narrative of a boy growing up in post-revolutionary Iran. The stories paint a picture of a middle-class, westernized boy experiencing all the common—and uncommon—adventures of childhood and self-discovery.
Blending both humor and insight, The Konar and the Apple transcends culture to celebrate the fun, innocence, and anticipation of growing up that unite us all.
- GenresNonfiction
272 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 13, 2022
4 people are currently reading
398 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 29, 2023
Incredible, loved it, cried on multiple occasions :) most bittersweet book I’ve ever read
July 24, 2022
It's an interesting look into life in Iran before and after the "revolution". The stories are not very suspenseful, colorful or funny, but the depict every day life during that time in a country we don't know much about.
August 20, 2022
At least in my opinion, the appeal of a memoir depends on some specific qualities of the author and the reader. Some memoirs I enjoy specifically because the author and I have a lot in common. I can look at how they handled certain kinds of situations and compare it to my own thoughts and actions. But other memoirs have authors whose experiences are so different than my experience due to differences in when or where they happened, our age at the time, culture, or other factors that I can’t easily put myself in their place. But in many ways this kind of memoir is even better, because it gives me insight that helps me to better understand someone who, at least at first glance, is much different than me. This memoir definitely fits in that second category.
The Konar and the Apple is the author’s story of his time growing up in Iran. Although he spent some time in his younger years outside of Iran which get brief mentions, the stories in this book focus on his time in Iran. For various reasons, war being the biggest one, Babak and his family move around the country, so we get insight into what life was like for him in places ranging from remote backwaters to Iran’s capital city, Tehran. I said it was the author’s story, but in reality the better way to describe it, the way he describes it himself, is his stories.
Each chapter is a story about something specific. It reads something like a series of short stories with the obvious differences, that the stories are true and because they’re all about the author’s experiences they all tie together. Each story stands on its own. At times one story might repeat a fact or give some background needed to understand the story that was also included in another story, but I didn’t find this bothersome because it reminded me of something pertinent to the current story and I realized the positive of doing this, enabling each story to stand alone.
Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable and enlightening read. I think it gave me a better sense of how Iran changed over the period in question. It drove home how much different living there is than my own life. But I also saw some things, some trivial, but others not so much, that drove home that as humans we still have a lot in common, even if there are massive differences in the various cultures and places that we live in.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
The Konar and the Apple is the author’s story of his time growing up in Iran. Although he spent some time in his younger years outside of Iran which get brief mentions, the stories in this book focus on his time in Iran. For various reasons, war being the biggest one, Babak and his family move around the country, so we get insight into what life was like for him in places ranging from remote backwaters to Iran’s capital city, Tehran. I said it was the author’s story, but in reality the better way to describe it, the way he describes it himself, is his stories.
Each chapter is a story about something specific. It reads something like a series of short stories with the obvious differences, that the stories are true and because they’re all about the author’s experiences they all tie together. Each story stands on its own. At times one story might repeat a fact or give some background needed to understand the story that was also included in another story, but I didn’t find this bothersome because it reminded me of something pertinent to the current story and I realized the positive of doing this, enabling each story to stand alone.
Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable and enlightening read. I think it gave me a better sense of how Iran changed over the period in question. It drove home how much different living there is than my own life. But I also saw some things, some trivial, but others not so much, that drove home that as humans we still have a lot in common, even if there are massive differences in the various cultures and places that we live in.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
March 11, 2022
Babak has lived in Ahwaz, Idaho, London, Iran, Japan, and now California. At age 11, Babak and his family relocated to Iran. Initially, life was easy and he spent his days making memories with his friends there. They worked together to found their own secret society and went seeking avenues to fund their club. However, things took a drastic turn when the war between Iran and Iraq broke out. First, Babak had to leave his friends behind and relocate again with his family amidst the insistent bombings to another town. Then worrying about having to enlist in the military if he failed the national college entrance examinations was a growing concern. Thriving as a growing boy in Iran, Babak encountered some roadblocks, heartache, breakthroughs, and also falling in love.
The Konar and the Apple by Babak Hodjat is a compilation of events from the author, Babak Hodjat’s time living and growing up in Iran during a war. He shares with us the peace his family enjoyed before the war the happy times that were carefree. When the war started, his family experienced fear and anxiety as they relocated away from the fighting. Hodjat especially goes into detail about what his time living and schooling during and after the war looked like. Living through a war did not change him. At heart, he was still that adventurous and daring child before the war.
Babak aimed to share all his core memories as a growing boy in the form of storytelling and he has successfully done this. At times Babak did describe serious memories but he also managed to keep the tone lighthearted. Babak’s stories bring back a feeling of nostalgia and takes us back to the time when we were creative. He gives readers undiluted, yet brief access to what his youthful years looked like.
The Konar and the Apple is perfect for younger readers as they will be captivated by Babak’s adventures and quests with his friends. Readers looking to envision what the life of an average Iranian citizen looked like during the war will find this to be an eye-opening read.
The Konar and the Apple by Babak Hodjat is a compilation of events from the author, Babak Hodjat’s time living and growing up in Iran during a war. He shares with us the peace his family enjoyed before the war the happy times that were carefree. When the war started, his family experienced fear and anxiety as they relocated away from the fighting. Hodjat especially goes into detail about what his time living and schooling during and after the war looked like. Living through a war did not change him. At heart, he was still that adventurous and daring child before the war.
Babak aimed to share all his core memories as a growing boy in the form of storytelling and he has successfully done this. At times Babak did describe serious memories but he also managed to keep the tone lighthearted. Babak’s stories bring back a feeling of nostalgia and takes us back to the time when we were creative. He gives readers undiluted, yet brief access to what his youthful years looked like.
The Konar and the Apple is perfect for younger readers as they will be captivated by Babak’s adventures and quests with his friends. Readers looking to envision what the life of an average Iranian citizen looked like during the war will find this to be an eye-opening read.
April 23, 2022
Light hearted, warm and endearing
This is a collection of seemingly random stories from the author‘s childhood growing up in Iran, up through his modern day life as a CTO and technology serial entrepreneur in California. Together the stories paint a picture of the arc of the author‘s life, and how his early experiences brought him to where he is today. Each story, by itself, is unassuming and often fun, and by itself does not seem to point the way. The pattern emerges only later, looking back after all the stories have been collected. Many of the stories take place in the backdrop of the Iran/Iraq war, and political/religious extremism that endures even today in Iran, and surprisingly show how easily at least some children can still find ways to be children even in such a frightening context.
This is a collection of seemingly random stories from the author‘s childhood growing up in Iran, up through his modern day life as a CTO and technology serial entrepreneur in California. Together the stories paint a picture of the arc of the author‘s life, and how his early experiences brought him to where he is today. Each story, by itself, is unassuming and often fun, and by itself does not seem to point the way. The pattern emerges only later, looking back after all the stories have been collected. Many of the stories take place in the backdrop of the Iran/Iraq war, and political/religious extremism that endures even today in Iran, and surprisingly show how easily at least some children can still find ways to be children even in such a frightening context.
December 19, 2022
‘The Konar and the Apple’ is a memoir of Babak Hodjat’s journey from when he was a child living in Iran during the revolution of Iran in 1979. He travels to Japan and lives there in his teens before moving to the United States, marking a firm stand in the world. I enjoyed reading about Hodjat’s experience as a boy growing up in post-revolutionary Iran. Seeing his perspective on life from the beginning and as he came of age was interesting. The added humor in the content truly lifted up the experience and added to the enjoyment of the read.
Babak writes with a certain penmanship that you rarely see in the independent publishing world. His style of approach and detailed description narrative brings this book alive.
I recommend this book to memoir fans.
Babak writes with a certain penmanship that you rarely see in the independent publishing world. His style of approach and detailed description narrative brings this book alive.
I recommend this book to memoir fans.
December 16, 2022
2.5 stars.
This was a giveaway.
Sad to say if I hadn't felt obligated to finish, I wouldve abandoned this. There were parts that I really enjoyed (most of the first half), but I ended up skimming large sections (the soccer game, the play, the last 20 pages), hence my 2.5 star rating.
This was a giveaway.
Sad to say if I hadn't felt obligated to finish, I wouldve abandoned this. There were parts that I really enjoyed (most of the first half), but I ended up skimming large sections (the soccer game, the play, the last 20 pages), hence my 2.5 star rating.
September 19, 2022
Delightful novel about a young boy, Babak growing up with friends in Ahwaz, Iran,
They get up to all the mischief that boys usually get up to..
A few chapters in, war breaks out between Iran and Iraq, turning the young boys idyllic childhood upside down. The mood of the novel dramatically changes
‘A few minutes later, the air raid sirens would go off on all the radios and mosque loudspeakers announcing red alert, which started with a relatively male voice saying, ‘Attention! Attention ! The sound you are about to hear is the red alert siren and it means that an enemy air raid is underway or imminent. Please take shelter.’
This novel also serves as a first-hand account of the memories of an author’s childhood affected by war.
The autobiographical novels follows a young boy become a young man awarded a scholarship to study in Japan and end up as tech businessman in California.
They get up to all the mischief that boys usually get up to..
A few chapters in, war breaks out between Iran and Iraq, turning the young boys idyllic childhood upside down. The mood of the novel dramatically changes
‘A few minutes later, the air raid sirens would go off on all the radios and mosque loudspeakers announcing red alert, which started with a relatively male voice saying, ‘Attention! Attention ! The sound you are about to hear is the red alert siren and it means that an enemy air raid is underway or imminent. Please take shelter.’
This novel also serves as a first-hand account of the memories of an author’s childhood affected by war.
The autobiographical novels follows a young boy become a young man awarded a scholarship to study in Japan and end up as tech businessman in California.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews