Thirty years ago, the government that took power in Iran promised all Iranians that they would be free. Three decades on the nation has been characterized by persistent struggles but a topic of books for many authors
2009-03-23
Khomeini's Ghost by Con Coughlin
On 1 February 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran to a tumultuous welcome, and the Iranian revolution that he masterminded has become one of the defining moments of the modern age. Today the challenge of radical Islam represents the greatest threat to world peace seen since the darkest days of the Cold War, and the legacy of Khomeini's Islamic Revolution lies at the heart of many of the world's most intractable conflicts.
'Khomeini's Ghost' is the definitive biographical account of how an impoverished young student from a remote area of southern Iran came to be the political and the spiritual leader of his country.
The Life and Times of the Shah by Gholam Reza Afkhami
This epic biography, a gripping insider's account, is a long-overdue chronicle of the life and times of Mohammad Reza Shah, who ruled from 1941 to 1979 as the last Iranian monarch. Gholam Reza Afkhami uses his unparalleled access to a large number of individuals, including high-ranking figures in the shah's regime, members of his family, and members of the opposition?to depict the unfolding of the shah's life against the forces and events that shaped the development of modern Iran. The first major biography of the Shah in twenty-five years, this richly detailed account provides a radically new perspective on key events in Iranian history, including the 1979 revolution, U.S.-Iran relations, and Iran's nuclear program. It also sheds new light on what now drives political and cultural currents in a country at the heart of today's most perplexing geopolitical dilemmas.
Iran Awakening: One Woman's Journey to Reclaim Her Life and Country by Shirin Ebadi
Winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize and advocate for the oppressed, Shirin Ebadi spirit has remained strong in the face of political persecution.
Best known in Iran as the lawyer working tirelessly on behalf of Canadian photojournalist, Zahra Kazemi - beaten to death in 2003 in Iran - Dr. Ebadi chronicles her childhood in a loving, untraditional family, to her upbringing before the Revolution in 1979 that toppled the Shah, her marriage and her religious faith, as well as her life as a mother and lawyer battling an oppressive regime in the courts while bringing up her daughters at home.
Outspoken, controversial, Shirin Ebadi rose quickly to become the first female judge in Iran; but when religious authorities declared women unfit to serve as judges she was demoted to clerk in the courtroom she had once presided over. Eventually Ebadi fought her way back as a human rights lawyer, defending women and children in politically charged cases that most lawyers were afraid to represent. Arrested and targeted with countless assassination attempts, Shirin Ebadi through it all has spoken out with quiet bravery on behalf of the victims of injustice and discrimination and become a powerful voice for change, almost universally embraced as a hero.
The Soul of Iran: A Nation's Struggle for Freedom by Afshin Molavi
"Death to America," the bearded student chants as television cameras roll. When the cameras leave, the student accosts Afshin Molavi "I hear you have come from America. How can I get a green card?" This is Iran, the culmination of 2,600 years of Persian history and a nation of many realities.
Molavi, born in Iran and fluent in Farsi, traveled his homeland for over a year, meeting with students of the right and left, bazaar merchants, Islamic clerics, pro-democracy writers, and kids hooked on anything Western. All opened their hearts to Molavi, speaking candidly about issues that matter to them: from unemployment to the Internet, from the ruling clerics to green cards.
