“Equal of the Sun,” the second novel by San Francisco writer Anita Amirrezvani, takes us into a harem of 16th Century Iran, ridding us of misconceptions that it was solely a place of uneducated, preening, cloistered women.

Zohreh Ghahremani’s latest novel, Sky of Red Poppies, (2012 One Book, One San Diego), presents a slice of Iranian life over the past four decades. It begins with an unusual friendship between two young women in a politically divided Iran, under the rule of the Shah. As their story unfolds, the history and culture of their homeland takes on a life of its own.

Mojdeh Marashi is a writer, translator, artist and designer whose work is deeply influenced by the ancient and modern history of Iran.