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 administrationIn 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.
#630587 in Books 2004-01-07 2004-01-07Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 213.61 x 21.46 x 5.75l; .72 #File Name: 0805069364208 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Excellent introduction to the first eight years of the American PresidencyBy Daniel PutmanIf you are looking for a detailed biography of Washington; this is not it. There is very little here about Washington’s childhood and early life and equally little about his role in the Revolution. But; given the size of the books in the American Presidents series and the goal of focusing on the Presidency itself; the book is solid. Burns and Dunn emphasize Washington’s main goal as President; especially in his first term – forging the unity of the country. They point out several times how Washington could have taken the country toward being a modified monarchy but resisted despite enormous pressure to do so. They also clearly delineate the strengths of Washington’s initial choices for his cabinet and how he dealt with the fact that the President’s actual powers are minimally spelled out in the Constitution. Burns and Dunn also do a fine job of clarifying how parties developed and how Washington found himself; especially in his second term; defending a centralized form of government that emphasized commerce and ties to the wealthy versus the views of his former close friends Madison and Jefferson. Burns and Dunn claim with good evidence that in his second term Washington often confused the unity of the country with his own policies and could not understand how his opponents could be what he viewed as dangerously divisive. Washington began his Presidency as the virtually unanimous hero of the people and left it being attacked by one opponent as “the man who is the source of all the misfortunes of our country.†The world of American politics was born. This is an excellent introduction to the years of the first President. I would not recommend it as a biography; but; if the reader is interested in Washington’s Presidential years themselves; this is hard to beat. And that is the goal of the American Presidents series.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Many reviews have stated that this is interesting in it's ...By CLOCKMAN60Many reviews have stated that this is interesting in it's presentation and style. I probably wouldn't classify it as exciting reading; but rather would say it was informative; but very dry. If you do not process a huge vocabulary; you may need a dictionary at your side. The author goes out of his way to use ridiculously obscure words when simpler; more direct terms would have made the reading more satisfying and understandable. Quotes of Washington are sometimes tough enough to follow without the author complicating the situation. While I do have a master's in mathematics from I.U.; I'm not an avid reader with a large vocabulary. If you do; this read might be more enjoyable.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. George WashingtonBy Kindle CustomerAn inspiring biography of a man and a revealing portrait of an era. A very good beginning to a series.
