Interesting book - I remember when these events took place, and I have heard Kathryn Koob speak about her experience, as we went to the same college - I was in college when she was going through this ordeal.... I had no idea when this was happening how much the Iranian's hated the West and specifically United States. I found all the details distracting, but informative... it was a complicated situation and continues to be complicated... I would recommend the book but it is a long book! 637 pages!!

American journalist and writer Mark Bowden presents a well-researched, well-written, detailed and fascinating narrative of the Iran Hostage ordeal 45 years ago occurring during the late President Jimmy Carter's presidency in Guests of the Ayatollah: The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam. I'm sure the status of the hostages has changed since this was published in 2006 but it seemed relevant to read now that President Carter's funeral is this week. This event was one of the situations instrumental in him loosing the election to Reagan in 1980. The American embassy in Tehran probably should have been closed as soon the Shah was given permission to come to the US for medical treatments. It would have seemed like an obvious preventive measure. Bowden shares the stories of each of the people who were working in the embassy and how they survived for over a year. Its a safe assumption the Carter administration was doing everything they could to secure their release but the Iran government was intent on making Carter an example. Since this happened the Swiss embassy in Tehran provides assistance to US citizens.

Non-fiction account of the Iran hostage crisis that reads like a thriller. Interesting book to read during a lock down. Wasn't why I chose it, but still a good reminder that things could be a lot worse.

This book was so personal to me as I was a student in Paris during the revolution while Khomeini was in exile in Paris. I am really impressed with the research and level of intimate detail that for me, filled in a lot of blanks about things I didn't or couldn't then understand. It was the first time I was eligible to vote in a US presidential election, and that was significant too for me. I was sometimes profiled in Paris as a student for "looking Iranian" (I am not) and tried to learn why the Iranian students in Paris were so vehemently in favor of this revolution (I couldn't then and I still can't now). The book is a must read for any student of this period of our history.

This gripping account of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis offers a deep dive into the experiences of both the captives and their captors. The narrative is well-researched, providing valuable insights into the political tensions of the time. It’s a compelling read for anyone interested in history and international relations.

I had long wanted to know details of the Iran hostage-taking, especially as it was the first major international event I recall. I think it was the first time I realized America's impact on and role in the world. The book was also interesting to me because I too am in the foreign service and work at embassies overseas. The fact that Mark Bowden interviewed and wrote about so many of the hostages made the account choppy in places, but he and his editors seem to have done fairly well in piecing it all together as coherently as possible.

Thanks Bridget for recommending this one. I've never stayed up till 4am for a non-fiction book before. Since I have no recollection of the Iran Hostage Crisis, and had little knowledge of what happened or what it was about, I was enthralled with the attempt to sneak in and capture the hostages--the attempt that was a huge debacle. I was hoping it would work out...

I think the fact that I didn't know anything about the situation made the book's impact even greater. I don't have a vague notion that Carter screwed things up--as I surely would have if I had been glued to the tv set as events unfolded. I also appreciate how the author showed the precarious situation Carter was in and how the Iranian students had no concept of what it meant to have Ronald Reagan in power.

The thought too, that people so inexperienced with the world have such strong notions of how the world works and how it should work...it was frightening. I found myself resenting the students for the position they put their country in--they didn't see the bigger implications of their actions until Saddam had already started moving in.

This book was a heartbreaking "other" book end to the book "All the Shah's Men" by Stephen Kinzer. Kinzer wrote about the American lead coup that toppled the democratically elected government of Mohammed Mosadeg by led by Kermit Roosevelt (yes, son of TR) in 1953. That coup installed the Mohammed Reza Shah, as the autocratic ruler of Iran for 25 years, and who was friendly toward the US during his reign. In that span of time, Reza Shah, used torture, and the heavy-hand of the military to subjugate the Iranian people. By 1979, Iran was unstable and headed down a new path of totalitarianism lead by the Ayatollah Khommeni and other fundamentalist mullahs.

In November of 1979 college students stormed the US Embassy with the demand of having the Shah returned to Iran to face "justice". Instead, this action fueled the fire of chaos and Islamic fundamentalists were able to seize control of the Iranian government. These new rulers were just as despotic and cruel as the Shah had been, but were cruel under the banner of religion. The result was that over 50 Americans were held hostage, "guests of the Ayatollah", for 444 days. This book also details the Carter Administration's inability to take a strong stand and get these people home in a quick manner. As a result of a failed rescue attempt, eight Americans lost their lives and the United States was again embarrassed.

I was a young child when these events happened, I remember seeing nightly news reports, praying for the hostages and tying yellow ribbons on fence posts and tree branches. At times this book was heart wrenching as the author described events and conditions the hostages lived in. It was also an eye opening read to see the coup that installed Reza Shah come full circle with his downfall and death. I kept asking myself why is American foreign policy so bad most of the time? Could this all have been avoided had Mosadeg never been deposed in 1953, and had Iran been left to self-determine? Would Iran be a middle-eastern success or failure?

Excellent, gripping and emotional read. Highly recommend this and Kizer's book as well.

Great book and once again Mark Bowden digs into the, "what we think we know" file.

It's a highly verbose book that goes into the minutia of everything.

I found the author's portrayal slightly condescending, as he insisted on describing every Iranian man as bearded and all the women as wearing chadors, even when it added no real value to the narrative.

Americans Crisis

A well written book with a lot of interesting facts that were never told to the public.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in American history !!

Vivid account of the hostage crisis. Really well written, as if it were describing events as they unfolded.