The Iranians: Persia, Islam and the Soul of a Nation (Hardcover)

by Sandra Mackey (Author), Scott Harrop (Author)
Key Phrases: political clerics, lamic government, lamic republic, Muhammad Reza Shah, United States, Shia Islam (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
The Iranians chronicles the history of the Iranian people, from the "glory days" of Persia to the overthrow of Mohammed Riza Shah and the rise of the Ayatollah Khomeini. Through many centuries, Islamic Iran fell repeatedly to invaders--Turks, Mongols, Afghans, Russians, and the British--only to spring back and reassert its cultural and spiritual autonomy while absorbing elements of other civilizations. But after the 1950s, rapid modernization disturbed every facet of Iranian life. Mackey shows how Iran's pendulum swung from nationalism to monarchism to rigid Shia fundamentalism, while also offering harsh judgment of Western attitudes and policies toward Iran.

From Publishers Weekly
In an engrossing blend of history and reportage, Middle East expert Mackey (The Saudis) portrays a proud, anxious people caught between two interlocking traditions competing for the nation's soul. On the one hand, there is the legacy of ancient Persia, which brought forth Zoroastrianism with its belief in a supreme God, a philosophy of tolerance and justice, and magnificent art; and on the other, there is the predominant Shiite Muslim religion, which mirrors Persian nonconformity in its schismatic break with Sunni orthodoxy, but which also galvanizes the masses with calls for an egalitarian society, retribution against the West and strict adherence to Islamic moral code. Shah Muhammad Reza Pahlavi, in her analysis, abandoned Islamic traditions and, wrapping himself in the cloak of kingship, pushed a shallow resurrection of the glories of ancient Persia. His fall in 1979 left the U.S. adrift in the crucial Persian Gulf; and contemporary Iran, with its ongoing military buildup, its opposition to the Israel-Arab peace process and its refusal to lift the death edict for Salman Rushdie, reinforces deep-rooted authoritarian traditions. Nevertheless, Mackey strongly urges the U.S. to replace its policy of isolation and embargo with reconciliation toward President Hashemi Rafsanjani and the moderate pragmatists he supposedly represents.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; First edition. edition (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525940057
• ISBN-13: 978-0525940050
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #496,355 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Detailed and interesting, but at times Romanticizes culture, May 3, 1999

By A Customer

Mackey has written an excellent book in terms of historical facts and detailed accounts of Iran's past. However, her analysis and commentary on Iranian identity leaves much to be desired. She attempts to provide a modern perspective of Iran through discussing its long past, yet it seems to me that Mackey seems bent on forming an all-inclusive idea of what being "Iranian" is. That simply is not possible. Given the long history, incredible diversity, and complexity of the subject (which the author notes), the only way that one could present formula of "Iranianism" is by making many generalizations, which abound in this book. How else could one fit some 2500 years of history into 400 or so pages? All in all, it is a great introduction to Iran and a well-written, engaging book. My advice to readers: take Mackey's conclusions about why Iranians are the way they are with a grain of salt; this is not an academic book but rather, popular reading.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Important Factual Errors Make this Book Less Credible, December 13, 2000

By	"pazarmehr" (London, London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Iranians: Persia, Islam and the Soul of a Nation (Paperback)

I started reading this book with an enormous amount of pleasure. At first I thought my God, this American woman has understood us Iranians better than we have understood ourselves. The chapter on Reza Shah I thought was spot on. Then there were a few minor mistakes, e.g. Mohammad Reza Shah dreaming Abbas Shah, should have been Hazrat Abbas, who is an entirely different character(pp254). This was not too important though and I think we can forgive a foreigner for that. As the history approached the 1979 uprisng, Khomeini's nationalism or his exploit of nationalism was mentioned too often. The book then describes his arrival and says(pp285) - 'As soon the aged Khomeini rose from his poignant act of kissing the Iranian soil...'! I can not remember him doing that but I think most Iranians would remember that he was asked on the plane by a journalist on how he feels returning back to his country after 15 years and he replied without any emotion 'Nothing' !. An important statement which is not mentioned in the book.

Other examples I can give is how Sandra Mackey in her footnote on pp(286) says 'Shapur Bakhtiar was assassinated in Paris by unknown assailants...'. At this point I had to shelf the book. Perhaps she should have visited Vakili-rad and Hendi in the French jails, before France let Hendi go back to Iran, half way through his sentence in return for a petti contract.

If I was to recommend the book, I would say read the first 200 pages or so, after that be careful of what information you are given.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Accurate view of the world, as proposed by reform camp., October 22, 2001

By	A. K. K. Sheibany (London, England) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Iranians: Persia, Islam and the Soul of a Nation (Paperback)

Today, with the cultural pendulum seemingly going full swing away from Islamic Iran towards Persian Iran, I thought I should spend a weekend recapping my knowledge of Persian Culture and Shia religion. What is in the first 1/3 of the book is, I believe, an accurate reflection of both.

I found fault in the second third of the book in just one area. The author has a difficulty or inability to say that Shah Mohammed Reza did any good at all! She begrudgingly acknowledges his liberal policies, though gives credit to the US government for them, and makes the last 2 decades of Pahlavi reign seem like the last 9 months, namely a regime with a dying icon and a crisis of leadership.

It all became clear reading the last third of the book. The author must have some personal relationship with the offices of Rafsanjani / Khatami, and is whistling their tune. The mood on the street at the time the book was written may have given the "farr" to the moderate Rafsanjani, but he has since been discredited for his secret murder campaigns. The mood at the time the after-word was written may have been in favor of the moderate Khatami, but that is changing also, after the cheating and duplicity (good cop, bad cop games) of all the leadership of the Islamic Republic has becomes apparent.

In promoting the Islamic Reformist camp, the author is obliged to write in a way that suggest the path taken in the Islamic revolution, being a reaction to Pahlavi rule and Western monkey business, was inevitable. This false premise leads one to think the current status-quo is inevitable and should be respected, and further assisted.

In any case it is a good book all in all. Here are a few minor factual errors that the author might want to change in future re-prints: (p175) he ranked as the largest landowner - wrong the government became largest landowner. (p224) it's publication gave Khomeini status of Ayatollah - very wrong, he became Ayatollah after recommendation by clerics as a technical solution to prevent his execution at the instigation of Pakravan (ex-head of SAVAK) (p242) historically, Iranian side of Shatt Al-Arab marked Iran-Iraq border. Not historically, only since the British drew the line half a century earlier. (p255) man who commanded no authority other than military/SAVAK. Wrong and deceitful. This is what the revolutionaries keep telling us. The strength of public support for the Shah in the 1960's and early 70's was visibly no less than that for Khomeini in 1979 or Mossadeg in 1953. Policies that lead to this change in popularity is the key to Iranian character and cultural identity that I was hoping to read about. (p261) Showy, empty development projects. What's that suppose to mean? 20 nuclear reactors, largest petrochemical industry in world, largest steel furnaces in the world, industrial-military complex, all this basic infrastructure and growth in excess of Malaysia/South Korea is empty development? (p286) Bakhtiar assassinated by unknown assailants. Wrong they were very well known and linked with Rafsanjani, the authors friend it seems.(p299) flag of Pahlavi Iran. Wrong, Pahlavi's had no flag of their own. (p346) Yasser road is one mile up, not down from Niavaran.