“They said what they were going to do, then went out and did it.”

In the waning days of the Shah and the early days of the Ayatollah, the Iranian bureaucracy took two American business executives hostage. They were arrested and jailed without being charged with a crime, and offered bail at “a little under” thirteen million dollars. The owner of the company considered paying it, but it turns out to be very difficult to transfer thirteen million dollars into a country when (a) no one trusts the country, and (b) it’s obviously a ransom payment made under duress. Nor was there any real guarantee that the two employees would have been able to leave the country after the payment was made.

The State Department was not just not any help; their misreadings of the Shah’s government and the Ayatollah’s revolution made the problem worse, and contributed to the two men being taken.

But the company, Electronic Data Systems, was not an ordinary company, and the owner, H. Ross Perot, not an ordinary owner. The company had recruited heavily from returning veterans, and the owner had assisted in PR campaigns to convince North Korea to treat prisoners of war better. So he hired a former special forces leader to lead a team of company employees to get the hostages out of prison and then out of Iran.

It is an extraordinarily exciting story about Americans doing what they set out to do.

I’ll be clear up front—this what I’d call a hump book. In other words, it may take half of the book to really get into it, but once you’re beyond that hump, the ride down is well worth the trek.

When I was searching for a nonfiction book to read, this was the highest recommendation I received. I was told about Ken Follet’s narrative style and I decided to give it a chance. Since I don’t usually read this kind of nonfiction, I found myself pushing to get to the next chapter. It was more difficult to read than I had anticipated. Even though it was challenging for me, it was still high-quality material. Once I got over my hump, I found myself coming to the book more and more as I learned about the people involved.

Follet focuses heavily on the people and describes them as if they were characters in the story, offering a surreal experience for a nonfiction novel. The descriptions of the setting were also well tied to the people, which I believe was a great benefit to Follet’s writing. It was a great example of how “showing, not telling” leaves a much more of an impact.

Those interested in narrative and nonfiction will likely enjoy this the most. However, the story is a very inspiring one (which may be the reason why I hear so much praise for it) and can reach a much wider audience. I would not have expected to enjoy this book as much as I had, but the dedication of both the members retelling On Wings of Eagles as well as Follet himself was clear and I was greatly motivated. If I had taken anything out this book, I would proudly say that it increased the hopefulness I have for the people in the world.

Being from Dallas and raised during Ross Perot's run for the presidency, I was surprised I didn't know about his behind the scenes rescue mission of two EDS employees during the Iranian revolution. I enjoy Ken Follett, and hearing him speak recently about his friendship with Perot, made me run out and get this book. Written like a thriller, you cheer for the Texan who works his governmental connections, uses his personal money and ultimately puts a motley crew of men with true grit together to get these guys out. Along the way you are shown the day-to-day under pinnings of the US government, the wives who are left behind and how everyday Iranians are affected by doing business in a sometimes lawless land.

I will read almost anything and sometimes I pull a book off the shelf at our local dump's "Mall" like I'm choosing an unknown dish at a potluck supper: slight apprehension overridden by the optimism that I might be delighted with the choice.

Ken Follett's "On Wings of Eagles" was a delight. Suspense isn't my go-to genre. I probably read a few novels a year in that category. Little did I know when I picked this one up that it was a true story, that of Ross Perot and his employees unfairly jailed in Iran during the tumultuous time when the Shah fled. The fact that a story is true doesn't always add to its power. (I learned that the hard way when trying to write something autobiographical once!). But in this case, it does. The story was fascinating, every single page. Follett's ability to keep me reading, even through pages of bureaucracy and politics, is testament to his amazing storytelling skills. And the high-action scenes could not have unfolded with more tension if they were born in a novelist's imagination.

I highly recommend this book if you need a healthy dose of drama!

This book has been on my to-read list for quite some time. I was in college at the time of this happening. I remember parts of it but not to the existent that was brought out in the book. I had a girl that I worked with on campus that was married to someone from Iran. The last I knew that she had gone there to visit--just before the revolution. I never did know what happened to her. Her husband definitely had some different views about life.

reading this book I have to keep in mind that its not fictional . it is true . So whatever I believe the characters or like them should not be the case to judge Follet . As a matter of fact I think Ross Perot is an believable character . The over courageous billionaire is hard to believe but I have to accept because it is true . I do not like the hero of the rescue plan Bull Simons but still Follett is not to blame .

Beside, this book has convinced me that no fiction work could match the true stories . Like (In Cold Blood) and similar books , no fiction could raise to the level of vivid truth . In fiction you are building your story and you try not to loose the flow of events . Fact based books are not like that . They could be irregular or unsystematic , but still the reader has to keep going keeping in mind that this is only a re- construction of the truth .

Audible.com 15 hours 17 min. Narrated by various readers

As a huge fan of Ken Follett's Kingsbridge series and his various other books of fiction, I was fascinated with this non-fiction recreation of the successful plans of Ross Perot to free two of his EDS employees from jail in Tehran, Iran in 1979. I knew of Ross Perot's unsuccessful runs for presidential election, but I don't remember ever hearing of the great love and respect Perot had for our military especially those from the Vietnam Nam period and POW's and MIA. I can't imagine any other founder and chairman of the board of such lage company as EDS going to such lengths to carry through his conviction of responsibility for the safety of employees caught in the middle of a revolution. I'm grateful for the time that Follett (a Welshman) put into gathering first-person accounts of this particular turbulent time in America's history to give credit to an unsung hero. "As Americans it's what is right about America." Some may say the story is too long, but each detail is like one piece in a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. Without the details, the the full-picture can't be seen. 4.5 ☆

This book is amazing. Really, you couldn't make this stuff up even if you wanted. I must thank one of my faculty members for "making" me read On Wings of Eagles. Ken Follett is one my favorite (well, maybe my favorite) authors, and I hadn't even known that this book existed until December 2012.

On Wings of Eagles is the 100% true story of the rescue operation that Ross Perot organizes after two of his EDS employees working in the Iran branch are jailed. This story takes place in 1978-79, not long before the bigger, more well-known Iran hostage situation. (The only liberties that Follett takes is that he changed the name of several characters to help protect their identities, and that the conversations may not be 100% accurate as it's hard for people to recall their exact words/conversations. However, all conversations in the book were shown to those involved, so the integrity is there.)

I have to say that I would LOVE to get to chat with Ross Perot. I must admit that I really didn't (and still don't) know much about him, but I've learned that he is a man of integrity, and will go to any length to keep his people safe. It was so nice to see such a rich man going to such great lengths to protect his men and do what needed to be done to get them home and safe.

Ross Perot was one crazy Texan. I only vaguely remember him in the 1992 presidential debates talking with a high, nasally voice about balancing the budget, but I guess if you're crazy enough to run for president as an independent, you're crazy enough to organize a hostage rescue with employees from your data processing company in the middle of a frenzied, anti-American revolution in Iran. These guys had more guts than I'll ever have, and it worked (against all odds and an enormous human and legal risk that makes the lawyer in me cringe), so respect to them. The whole book is kind of a lesson in overconfidence and how acting confident becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy--especially in the case of Rashid, he was my favorite. I wonder what he's doing now, here in the U.S. He's got a rare skill set for sure.

Update: I just looked Rashid up and found out he got in trouble with the SEC for alleged insider trading in 2010 and settled with them to give back $8M in illicit gains. Dang. Doesn't change what he did in 1979, but it's too bad.

In December of 1978 two employees of EDS were arrested in Iran. EDS was a global data processing firm that was working with Iran to set up their banking system. This was Ross Perot’s firm headquartered in Texas. After trying all available official options and finding the Carter Whitehouse impotent to help, Perot decided to take matters into his own hands. He put together a team of specialists who, after several months and some good luck, managed to get them out without any injuries on either side.

Follet gives details about how and why the kidnapping occurred along with behind the scenes of what it was like being in detention in Iraqi jails and prisons. This book proves the adages, “Truth is stranger than fiction” and “Everything that can go wrong will.” Each time something went wrong, something else popped up to solve the problem. It’s the kind of stuff you read in a novel where you must practice a little suspension of disbelief, only this is all true.

There is a wide range of heroic characters, both Americans and Iranians, who had to work together and trust each other in perilous situations.

I was impressed with Perot’s decision to take on such a risky international project that the U.S. government wouldn’t attempt. He put his company and, at times, his own life at risk to bring back two of his employees who were kidnapped by the government of Iran.

Follet did an excellent job of bring this story to life.

Throughly enjoyed this book particularly the second half. Knowing that it was as real as it gets was particularly gratifying. Learning about Ross Perot was a plus - a real American hero in my book for not only attempting but getting his people out of Iran before it was impossible during the fall of the Shah. Although it would have been great to think his team could go in there Rambo like, guns ablazing, the manner in which things came about and his teams eventual return to the US was more than gratifying. The beginning of the book was understandably slower than one would like but it was the background that was needed to build the foundation needed for later. All in all Follett did a great job with the material and I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a good REAL story, all the more so to anyone that lived through the HELL that Jimmy Carter created that is now a sworn enemy of the United States: Iran.

Libro semplicemente pazzesco, ti tiene col fiato sospeso dalla prima all'ultima parola. Merita davvero di essere letto. Di sicuro lo rileggerò volentieri