Awakening: A History of the B?b? and Bah?'? Faiths in Nayr?z is an inspiring account of the brutal religious persecutions that took place in 1850, 1853, and 1909 in the town of Nayr?z, Iran, against its B?b? and Bah?'? residents. During this time, the town's citizens, spurred on by a corrupt Muslim clergy and government, launched several waves of bloodshed against the B?b?s - and later Bah?'?s - who lived there. This type of persecution continues today in present-day Iran toward the Bah?'?s - on a more subtle level - and the history of the B?b?s and Bah?'?s in Nayr?z serves as a reminder of what can happen when religious fanaticism and paranoia are allowed to replace rational thinking and tolerance.