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The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran

av Andrew Scott Cooper

MedlemmarRecensionerPopularitetGenomsnittligt betygDiskussioner
11311239,609 (4.17)Ingen/inga
" An immersive, gripping account of the rise and fall of Iran's glamorous Pahlavi dynasty, written with the cooperation of the late Shah's widow, Empress Farah In this remarkably human portrait of one of the twentieth century's most complicated personalities, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Andrew Scott Cooper traces the Shah's life from childhood through his ascension to the throne in 1941. He draws the turbulence of the post-war era during which the Shah survived assassination attempts and coup plots to build a modern, pro-Western state and launch Iran onto the world stage as one of the world's top five powers. Readers get the story of the Shah's political career alongside the story of his courtship and marriage to Farah Diba, who became a power in her own right, the beloved family they created, and an exclusive look at life inside the palace during the Iranian Revolution. Cooper's investigative account ultimately delivers the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty through the eyes of those who were there: leading Iranian revolutionaries; President Jimmy Carter and White House officials; US Ambassador William Sullivan and his staff in the American embassy in Tehran; American families caught up in the drama; even Empress Farah herself, and the rest of the Iranian Imperial family. Intimate and sweeping at once, The Fall of Heaven recreates in stunning detail the dramatic and final days of one of the world's most legendary ruling families, the unseating of which helped set the stage for the current state of the Middle East. "-- "In this remarkably human portrait of one of the twentieth century's most complicated personalities, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Andrew Scott Cooper traces the Shah's life from childhood through his ascension to the throne in 1941. He draws the turbulence of the post-war era during which the Shah survived assassination attempts and coup plots to build a modern, pro-Western state and launch Iran onto the world stage as one of the world's top five powers. Readers get the story of the Shah's political career alongside the story of his courtship and marriage to Farah Diba, who became a power in her own right, the beloved family they created, and an exclusive look at life inside the palace during the Iranian Revolution. Cooper's investigative account ultimately delivers the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty through the eyes of those who were there: leading Iranian revolutionaries; President Jimmy Carter and White House officials; US Ambassador William Sullivan and his staff in the American embassy in Tehran; American families caught up in the drama; even Empress Farah herself, and the rest of the Iranian Imperial family. Intimate and sweeping at once, The Fall of Heaven recreates in stunning detail the dramatic and final days of one of the world's most legendary ruling families, the unseating of which helped set the stage for the current state of the Middle East"--… (mer)
  1. 00
    Blood and Oil:: Memoirs of a Persian Prince av Manucher Farmanfarmaian (StreedsReads)
    StreedsReads: Details of relationships within their historical, political, and religious context leading up to the fall of the Pahlavi regime and the ensuing Islamic Revolution
  2. 00
    Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History av Antonio Mendez (StreedsReads)
    StreedsReads: Contains opposing and similar stories to what lead up to the fall of the Pahlavi regime and the ensuing Islamic Revolution.
  3. 00
    Shahernas shah av Ryszard Kapuściński (StreedsReads)
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I won a copy of the Fall of Heaven from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.

I'd signed up for a chance to win this book because I was drawn in by the description "An immersive, gripping account of the rise and fall of Iran's glamorous Pahlavi dynasty, written with the cooperation of the late Shah's widow, Empress Farah, Iranian revolutionaries and US officials from the Carter administration." That is what I was looking for when I opened the book.

What I found was a heavily-researched detailed account of the history of Iran, its religions and politics, which seemed to go back as far as prehistoric times. With all the charts and maps, the book seemed more like a PHD dissertation than what I'd expected-a piece of non-fiction for a general audience. Gripping it was not..at least for me.

I was mainly interested in the Shah's personal life- his three marriages, his extravagant lifestyle and philandering ways. And his undying love for his second wife, Soraya, who was 16- half his age, when he married her. He was in tears when he was forced to divorce her because she was unable to bear children. Some of this information is included but hard to find.

I credit the author with writing a well-researched work for history buffs; but I do not recommend this book for a general audience. ( )
  myrnagottlieb | Aug 4, 2016 |
The Fall of Heaven is a well-researched and in-depth study of Iran in the years leading up to the Iranian Revolution of 1979. While the focus is on the Pahlavi family and the last Shah of Iran, the author also explores the many complicated political machinations, history, and cultural perspectives that influenced the revolution. Sources for this book range from Pahlavi family members and allies to their political adversaries. Such breadth of sources allows for a very holistic view of events. The failings of the Shah as a leader are explored, while debunking the sensational propaganda instituted by his enemies. This book is appropriate for those with little knowledge of Iranian history and those looking for a deeper exploration of the events that led up to the fall of the Pahlavi regime. ( )
  gofergrl84 | Jul 8, 2016 |
Reading this book was heartbreaking, being carried by the author through the modernization of Iran by the Shah Pahlavi, his struggles to balance economic with democratic reforms, the corruption of those in whom he misplaced his trust, and lastly, the country's violent overthrow by a radical madman that had coopted a branch of his nation's faith. Andrew Cooper presents the stories, characters, dispels persistent myths and fables that have surrounded Iran and the origins of its current political iteration.

I recommend this book, despite the chilling reminder that freedoms gained can be quickly reversed, and that there is no inevitable "right" side of history to which time and circumstances are pulled. Things can, and do, go tragically wrong. This is one very good presentation of such series of events. ( )
  chaz166 | Jun 29, 2016 |
At first glance (and final review), I loved the layout and research elements of this “The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran,” by Andrew Scott Cooper. Prior to the “Introduction,” the reader encountered a list of key people and their roles, a “Revolution Timeline” and a 1979 map of Teheran, Iran (a critically important inclusion for any book focusing on Iran’s Islamic Revolution. Each chapter included two short, pertinent, and impactful quotes from different sources. History buffs, analysts, investigative personality types, and nerds at-hearts can greatly enjoy that the author shared his detailed research notes. He “constructed a 242-page, color-coordinated timeline that spanned the crucial twenty-month period from January 1, 1977, through August 31, 1978, that decided the Shah’s fate. The timeline expanded to include everything from weather reports and traffic conditions to movie and theater listings—anything to help me re-create daily life on the eve of the revolution. The timeline meant that I could follow the Shah, Queen Farah, President Carter, Ambassador Sullivan, and other personalities on a daily and even hourly basis during a critical two-year stretch. The timeline yielded unexpected patterns, trends, and turning points forgotten, neglected, or otherwise overlooked by other scholars” (15).

Dr. Andrew Scott Cooper, an expert in U.S.-Iran relations, wrote this text to serve as a correction of historical records. His qualifications included being a: “former researcher at Human Rights Watch, the US organization that monitors human rights around the world” (11). Perhaps it was this specific life experience that motivated him to write this compendium, which focused on following:

1. Iran’s human rights record within the context of the behaviors of other nation’s Cold War era dictators/rulers.
2. The scene that set the final stage for the revolution, revealing “two different revolutionary narratives” (15).
3. Farah Diba’s as a non-stereotypical model of a ruler’s wife.

The Shah’s human rights record included rumors that SAVAK held thousands of political prisoners. The last Shah countered that the numbers were greatly inflated. Dr. Cooper specified that “the lower numbers do not excuse nor diminish the suffering of political prisoners jailed nor tortured in Iran in the 1970s. They do, however, show the extent to which the historical record was manipulated by Khomeini and his partisans to criminalize the Shah and justify their own excesses and abuses” (11). The author deconstructed false analogies that compared the Shah to “Chile’s General Augusto Pinochet, blamed for the deaths of 2,279 people and 30,000 torture victims, and also to the Argentine military junta, held culpable for 30,000 deaths and disappearances” (11). Further details revealed that “within the context of the Cold War battlefronts in the Middle East and southwestern Asia, the Pahlavi state was not particularly repressive, especially when we consider that Saddam Hussein, in neighboring Iraq, was credited with the deaths of 200,000 political dissidents, while in Syria, President Hafez al-Assad crushed an Islamic uprising with 20,000 casualties. That Iran never experienced violence on such a scale suggests the Shah was a benevolent autocrat who actually enjoyed a greater degree of popular support among the Iranian people than was previously assumed” (11). Several explanations throughout the book included how Khomeini and his followers slandered the regime to gain his own political power; he was quoted as follows: "I can summon a million martyrs to any cause" (103)—and he did.

While the author did debunk rumors regarding Pahlavi regime behavior and the context in which the stories developed, the questions that must be asked include whether or not the uncovered facts carried enough weight to alter the world-view of the Pahlavi regime; and, would the Islamic Revolution still have occurred? Or, were they simply historical little white lies in the whole grand scheme of things? Readers must also determine whether or not such clarifications were worthy of a several-hundred-page compendium. Andrew Scott Cooper’s collection of micro-histories kept its promise to the readers; but the writing style at times seemed a bit disjointed; and, coupled with seemingly unnecessary minutiae, the piece became a bit dry at times…slowing down the reading and enjoyment of this text. Where the author truly gained writing cohesion and an energetic traction that created reading momentum revealed itself after 400 pages. Had the author utilized the same writing style more pervasively, this text easily would have earned five stars in lieu of four of them.

FREE REVIEW COPY DISCLOSURE
The aforementioned opinions are purely my own and not reflective of author nor publisher bias; but, as mandated by Federal Law of the United States of America, I am required to advise that I received this book, free of charge, as a giveaway from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers Program. ( )
  StreedsReads | Jun 24, 2016 |
The Fall of Heaven is a history of Iran during the reign of the last Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The author is a specialist in U.S.-Iran relations, but in this book the American interests are a sideshow and the story of Iran is the main story. I received an advance copy from the Goodreads Giveaways program.

The book is organized into two parts. The first part deals with most of the Shah’s reign, beginning in 1941 when Iran was occupied by Allied armies during World War II, and his vision including self-determination (very difficult in the Cold War era), equal rights for women, modern technology and culture, often in emulation of Europe but also trying to establish a Persian identity. By taking control of oil production from American and British corporations, the Shah was able to accomplish much of his vision and create an economy that was extremely prosperous, though hardly smooth.

The second part of the book deals with the chain of events beginning almost forty years ago, which led to the rise of Khomeini and the Islamic government, the downfall of the Shah and his voluntary exile.

The writing is compelling; I felt almost as if I were witnessing the events. The author takes time to describe crucial misunderstandings/deceptions, difficult choices, and how individual people felt. There are many direct quotations and even conversations recorded in the speakers’ own words. The perspective of the book is complex: while it’s centered on and sympathetic to the royal family, they are portrayed as very human. Each chapter begins with a couple of beautifully selected quotations – from the Shah, the Queen, Ayatollah Khomeini, or the ancient Persian Book of Kings.

I highly recommend this book and recognize it is dealing with a subject about which I know too little.
  aquariumministry | Jun 22, 2016 |
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" An immersive, gripping account of the rise and fall of Iran's glamorous Pahlavi dynasty, written with the cooperation of the late Shah's widow, Empress Farah In this remarkably human portrait of one of the twentieth century's most complicated personalities, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Andrew Scott Cooper traces the Shah's life from childhood through his ascension to the throne in 1941. He draws the turbulence of the post-war era during which the Shah survived assassination attempts and coup plots to build a modern, pro-Western state and launch Iran onto the world stage as one of the world's top five powers. Readers get the story of the Shah's political career alongside the story of his courtship and marriage to Farah Diba, who became a power in her own right, the beloved family they created, and an exclusive look at life inside the palace during the Iranian Revolution. Cooper's investigative account ultimately delivers the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty through the eyes of those who were there: leading Iranian revolutionaries; President Jimmy Carter and White House officials; US Ambassador William Sullivan and his staff in the American embassy in Tehran; American families caught up in the drama; even Empress Farah herself, and the rest of the Iranian Imperial family. Intimate and sweeping at once, The Fall of Heaven recreates in stunning detail the dramatic and final days of one of the world's most legendary ruling families, the unseating of which helped set the stage for the current state of the Middle East. "-- "In this remarkably human portrait of one of the twentieth century's most complicated personalities, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Andrew Scott Cooper traces the Shah's life from childhood through his ascension to the throne in 1941. He draws the turbulence of the post-war era during which the Shah survived assassination attempts and coup plots to build a modern, pro-Western state and launch Iran onto the world stage as one of the world's top five powers. Readers get the story of the Shah's political career alongside the story of his courtship and marriage to Farah Diba, who became a power in her own right, the beloved family they created, and an exclusive look at life inside the palace during the Iranian Revolution. Cooper's investigative account ultimately delivers the fall of the Pahlavi dynasty through the eyes of those who were there: leading Iranian revolutionaries; President Jimmy Carter and White House officials; US Ambassador William Sullivan and his staff in the American embassy in Tehran; American families caught up in the drama; even Empress Farah herself, and the rest of the Iranian Imperial family. Intimate and sweeping at once, The Fall of Heaven recreates in stunning detail the dramatic and final days of one of the world's most legendary ruling families, the unseating of which helped set the stage for the current state of the Middle East"--

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