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