This was an insight into the recent history of Iran from the perspective of a New York Times journalist who has been there for just about every major event since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, including the Revolution, the American Embassy Hostage Crisis, the Iran-Contra Affair, and the election of a reformist president in 1997.

The author, whose name is Scorpion according to Google, spent considerable time and effort doing the research that went into this book. She even managed to interview the Ayatollah Khomeini when he was in exile in France. I cannot pretend to have anywhere near the understanding she does about the people of Iran, although when I add up my personal experiences, they do add up to noticeably not than zero. I think she probably did an excellent job describing the people of Iran at that time and how they think.

Given that praise from me, how can I possibly give this book the lowest possible rating? This book is not just about Iran, it is about the relationship between Iran and USA. It is clear she knows little about USA (she often forgets the name of that country and is reduced to describing it by the hemisphere of the world it is mostly located in) or else maybe she does and she is lying her buttocks off. (I suspect it is a combination of dumb and lying but that is not important.). I give two specific examples, although I could give more. The first is describing the shoot down of an airliner from Iran as an accident: it was not an accident, it was deliberate; the most benign defense of the captain is that maybe he was too busy trying to kill some boats to bother figuring out what that airplane was doing by flying over the Gulf. The second is that Madeleine Albright is mentioned several times, but what she is most infamous for is what she said about the deliberate deaths of half a million babies and young children caused by USA in a Persian Gulf nation: "the price is worth it", yet she is presented as a voice of reason. The half million dead, due to the fawning approval by the U.S. press, is likely a lot more than two million by now. Books like this are parts of why this keeps happening.

There is a lot going on in this country that never gets in our newspapers.

2.5 stars really... It's a great way to see inside contemporary Iranian society, but as far as her focus and translation of Islam or political happenings, they are quite funny and a little warped. She has no ability to see the grammar of Iranian, neh Islamic, societies and customs. I'll put up some funny quotes...

set in Iran

after 100 pages into it i just couldnt get into this book as i would have hoped....

Read with "The Last great Revolution" and "The Persian Bride"

Well written and insightful book on Iran. I would recommend it.

Excellent for learning about how Persian society works.

Of the several books I have read on Iran, in my mind still the best

Detailed insights into a country with rich history and culture from the time period of the Shah to present day.

The book paints a very good picture of Iran, their political affairs and history.
The only problem is that a lot of events listed in the book are events that happened before 2000 which makes it difficult to comprehend the current situation.