The Fall of Heaven
 | |
| Author | Andrew Scott Cooper |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Contemporary history, biography |
| Publisher | Henry Holt and Co. |
Publication date | 2016 |
| Pages | 608 |
The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran is a 2016 book by Andrew Scott Cooper. It documents the Pahlavi family and the overthrow of the Shah of Iran.
Cooper stated that the person who succeeded Pahlavi as Iran's ruler, Ruhollah Khomeini, unfairly tainted Pahlavi's image and that the shah was a "benevolent autocrat".[1] The book's primary audience is the lay public rather than academics.[2] Cooper stated that The Fall of Heaven "is not intended as the final word on Mohammad Reza Shah or the 1979 revolution — far from it".[3]
Background[edit]
Andrew Scott Cooper, born in New Zealand, previously worked for Human Rights Watch as a researcher.[1] The author, who does not understand Persian,[3] used declassified documents from the U.S. federal government made around the period of the Shah's overthrow,[4] as well as interviews of members of Pahlavi's government and family, including that of Shahbanou Farah Pahlavi. Brent G., an author of a review of the Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, stated that the book "relied heavily" on these interviews.[5] The family members were in various locations.[3] Cooper stated that interviewers felt more comfortable talking to him since he was not Iranian.[1] Roham Alvandi, an associate professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science stated that his lack of Persian fluency made it easy for his interviewees to manipulate him.[3]
Content[edit]
Brent G. stated that the author describes Farah Pahlavi as "a frustrated reformer" in a "flattering portrait" and that according to the book Farah "probably deserves more credit than contemporary observers gave her".[5] Cooper stated a belief that Sayyid Musa Sadr would have been a good leader of Islamic moderates in Iran.[3]
Reception[edit]
Alvandi stated that the book is a "refreshingly revisionist account".[3]
Aram Bakshian wrote in the Washington Times that the book "is thoroughly researched and documented" and "is also highly readable and does justice to the tragic grandeur of his subject."[6]
Charmaine Chan of the South China Morning Post ranked the book four of five stars and described it as "a page-turner, especially when it relives the day-by-day events leading to the shah’s flight to exile."[1]
David Holahan of the USA Today ranked the book three and one half of four stars.[7]
Publishers Weekly described it as "a fascinating, distinctive, and personal account of the Shah and his rule."[8]
Jay Freeman of Booklist stated that the book "is a fine revisionist study".[9]
Brent G. concluded that the book "is more nuanced and balanced than most other Shah biographies to date" although he believed it was inferior to The Shah by Abbas Milani.[5] He stated had "excessive" positive statements about Pahlavi and that sections of the initial chapters "read like a panegyric he might have drafted to convince [members of Pahlavi's family and government] to lend him their time and memories."[5]
References[edit]
- Alvandi, Roham (Winter 2017). "The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran by Andrew Scott Cooper (review)". The Middle East Journal. 71 (1). The Middle East Institute: 155–156.
Reference notes[edit]
- ^ a b c d Chan, Charmaine (2016-09-02). "Book review: a revisionist take on the last shah of Iran". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ Alvandi, p. 155.
- ^ a b c d e f Alvandi, p. 156.
- ^ Nazila, Fathi (2016-08-26). "A new look at the Shah, his fall and how it continues to shake the world (Opinions)". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ a b c d "The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran". Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ Bakshian, Aram (2016-10-25). "BOOK REVIEW: 'The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran'". Washington Times. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ Holahan, David (2016-08-25). "Book sheds new light on Shah of Iran's last days". USA Today. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ "The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran". Publishers Weekly. 2016-05-30. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ Freeman, Jay (2016-06-01). "The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran". Booklist: 24–25 (cited, p. 25). - Printed on June 1 and 15, 2016