Digital List Price:	$19.95
Kindle Price:	$9.99 Save $9.96 (50%)
Sold by:	Amazon.com Services LLC

Promotions apply when you purchase

Add an

audiobook with Audible narration for $7.49

Audiobook Price: $18.80

Save: $11.31 (60%)

Read with our free app

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.

Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

There was an error. We were unable to process your subscription due to an error. Please refresh and try again.

Follow the author

Reza Aslan

Follow

An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville Kindle Edition

by Reza Aslan (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

59

See all formats and editions

One of NPR's Books We Love in 2022.

In this erudite and piercing biography, best-selling author Reza Aslan proves that one person’s actions can have revolutionary consequences that reverberate the world over.

Little known in America but venerated as a martyr in Iran, Howard Baskerville was a twenty-two-year-old Christian missionary from South Dakota who traveled to Persia (modern-day Iran) in 1907 for a two-year stint teaching English and preaching the gospel. He arrived in the midst of a democratic revolution—the first of its kind in the Middle East—led by a group of brilliant young firebrands committed to transforming their country into a fully self-determining, constitutional monarchy, one with free elections and an independent parliament.

The Persian students Baskerville educated in English in turn educated him about their struggle for democracy, ultimately inspiring him to leave his teaching post and join them in their fight against a tyrannical shah and his British and Russian backers. “The only difference between me and these people is the place of my birth," Baskerville declared, “and that is not a big difference.”

In 1909, Baskerville was killed in battle alongside his students, but his martyrdom spurred on the revolutionaries who succeeded in removing the shah from power, signing a new constitution, and rebuilding parliament in Tehran. To this day, Baskerville’s tomb in the city of Tabriz remains a place of pilgrimage. Every year, thousands of Iranians visit his grave to honor the American who gave his life for Iran.

In this rip-roaring tale of his life and death, Aslan gives us a powerful parable about the universal ideals of democracy—and to what degree Americans are willing to support those ideals in a foreign land. Woven throughout is an essential history of the nation we now know as Iran—frequently demonized and misunderstood in the West. Indeed, Baskerville’s life and death represent a “road not taken” in Iran. Baskerville’s story, like his life, is at the center of a whirlwind in which Americans must ask themselves: How seriously do we take our ideals of constitutional democracy and whose freedom do we support?

Print length

370 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

W. W. Norton & Company
Publication date

October 11, 2022
File size

13678 KB
Page Flip

Enabled
Word Wise

Enabled
Enhanced typesetting

Enabled
See all details

Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download

Report an issue with this product or seller

Reza Aslan
10,926
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $14.99
Reza Aslan
1,138
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $12.99
Ervand Abrahamian
55
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $22.49
Reza Aslan
335
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $15.99
Reza Aslan
1,672
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $4.99
Andrew Ward
57
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $5.99

From the Publisher

"A fascinating and throughly engrossing biography. A triumph." Laila Lalami

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An engrossing, entertaining, evocative, and unexpectedly cinematic story, a pleasure to read in that specific way where it’s impossible not to imagine the movie or ten-episode series in your head as you go. For both the facts of the story and Aslan’s unique ability to merge literary flourish with accessible scholarship and historical deep-dives, it’s a page-turner the likes of which are rarely produced in the historical biography genre. For its filling of a major gap in the library of geopolitical history, its resonance with the present-day strife in Iran, its echoes of other historical political battlelines in the region, and its celebration of how sincere faith of any denomination can inform a more noble and humanistic view of international relations, it’s required reading."
― Shana Nys Dambort, LA Weekly

"Aslan tells us Baskerville’s story with passion and sweetness."
― Tunku Varadarajan, Wall Street Journal

"A rip-roaring tale of a fascinating time in history… Aslan’s vivid storytelling evokes an intriguing cast of courtiers, clerics, desperados and idealists."
― Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post

"Reza Aslan has a unique talent for showing how piety and politics can merge, or quarrel, in the hearts of people. An American Martyr in Persia is a fascinating and thoroughly engrossing biography. A triumph."
― Laila Lalami, Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist, author of Conditional Citizens

"An astonishing story that underscores the power of biography. In Reza Aslan’s lyrical voice, Howard Baskerville’s short life comes alive as a fantastical fairy tale―a wild and improbable adventure story. [Aslan] reminds us that Iran’s revolution is quite simply unfinished."
― Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of American Prometheus

"Beautifully written and immensely readable.… Aslan meticulously weaves Iranian–US relations with palace intrigue, Russian and British designs on Persia, and heart-stopping accounts of battles between the forces of democracy and autocracy―some seventy years before another Iranian revolution grabbed the attention of the west."
― Hooman Majd, author of The Ayatollah Begs to Differ

"Great read, thoughtful and thought provoking. We must all pay attention to Reza Aslan’s timely reminder that ‘the suffering of any person anywhere is the responsibility of all peoples everywhere.’"
― Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran

"Aslan has rediscovered the tale of one of the most fascinating and enigmatic figures of the early twentieth century.… [This story] is a poignant reminder of the extraordinary affinity that historically existed between the peoples of Iran and the United States and raises the hope that this closeness might someday be kindled anew."
― Scott Anderson, author of The Quiet Americans

"A remarkable history that echoes to this day, with much to teach us about modern Iran and about ourselves. Read this book and be reminded of the common humanity that can transcend even our own cavernous divides."
― Ben Rhodes, author of After the Fall

"Reza Aslan’s An American Martyr in Persia is a stirring reminder of the power of idealism, hope, and courage in the face of tyranny and injustice. The story of Howard Baskerville is as important today as it was in his lifetime, and Aslan’s lucid prose and compelling narrative introduces him to a new generation who will find inspiration in his deeds."
― Viet Thanh Nguyen, author of The Sympathizer

"Replete with fascinating asides into the revolutionary politics of the era and the complex dynamics between Russia, England, and Persia, this is a provocative portrait of an unsung American hero."
― Publishers Weekly

"An intriguing read that breathes life into a pivotal moment of Persian/Iranian history."
― Kirkus --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Reza Aslan is an internationally acclaimed writer, producer, and scholar of religions. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Zealot, and editor of Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East. He lives in Los Angeles, California. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09Y3NMVY1
Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company (October 11, 2022)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 11, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 13678 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 370 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #650,668 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #52 in History of Iran
- #77 in Presbyterian
- #273 in Iran History

Customer Reviews:
59

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Reza Aslan

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Dr. Reza Aslan’s bachelor’s degree is in religious studies, with an emphasis on scripture and traditions (which at Santa Clara University means the New Testament). His minor was in biblical Greek. He has a master of theological studies degree from Harvard University, in world religions, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in the sociology of religions. UCSB’s doctoral program is an interdisciplinary one that draws from religion, history, philosophy, and sociology, among other fields. Aslan’s doctorate in the sociology of religions encompasses expertise in the history of religion. Reza also has a master of fine arts degree from the University of Iowa.

Dr. Aslan is currently professor of creative writing at the University of California, Riverside, with a joint appointment in the department of religion, and he teaches in both disciplines. He was previously Wallerstein Distinguished Visiting Professor at Drew University, where he taught from 2012 to 2013, and assistant visiting professor of religion at the University of Iowa, where he taught from 2000 to 2003. He has written three books on religion.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

59 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Tom Huening

A Personal History of Persia Become Iran

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2024

Verified Purchase

Reza Aslan captures the struggle for freedom and autonomy of early nineteen hundred Persia through the lens of a young Presbyterian missionary—Howard Baskerville. More than a century later Aslan connects and empathizes with Baskerville as a fellow Iranian and caring world citizen. I learned more about the persecuted religious pioneer Bab and about the origins of my brother’s Baha’i faith. Of all Aslan’s well written books this is by far the most intimate.

Helpful

Daniel G. Nolan

engaging history of modern Persia

Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2023

Verified Purchase

Masterfully written, as all of Reza Aslan’s work is. I found this hard to put down. Only drawback is that I think the author wound up in a position where he had to condense a lot of content into relatively few pages.

Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2023

This was a very interesting book, I have never heard of Howard Baskerville or the rules one had to agree to follow as a Christian missionary. I never realized the religious history of Persia and how today's Iran often times seems repetitive.

There are so many different topics covered in this book and all are very interesting. I am still amazed at what Mr. Baskerville had to agree to as a missionary, after all WWJD, keeps coming to mind in the decisions he made.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

S. Nasiri

The best book on Iran Quest for freedom and democracy

Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2022

Verified Purchase

I have read many books on Iran history and also many other nations. I had actually visited Haward Bakersvile grave in Tabrizi in summer of 2014 on a group tour sponsored by San Francisco Common Wealth with Stephen Kinzer as a guest speaker through out the trip. But, at the time, I had no idea about H.B. significance and sacrifice in Persian history and democratic struggle. I have also read books on shah, 1979 revolution, Romanovs, WW I & II and many ithers. But by far this has been the most engaging and informative book I have read so far, it brought tears to my eyes in more than one occasion... It actually reads like a very engaging epic andulmost like a fiction, but you know it is actually true and all had happened. I had read many bits and peace in various books but having all of it in one place and so nicely organized and written... I was very impressed and I highly recommended it to all particularly those of Iranian desents...

21 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amir A.

a must read for all those interested in history of Iran

Reviewed in the United States on September 21, 2023

Verified Purchase

very informative for those who are interested in Iran's history and its struggle for democracy

Helpful

raindancer

AN INTERESTING STORY BADLY TOLD

Reviewed in the United States on December 23, 2023

Verified Purchase

I heard this author interviewed and he was able to sell this story quite well during the course of the interview. It sounded great! Alas, the book does not, in any respect, live up to his salesmanship. In short Reza Aslan is a TERRIBLE writer. His plodding prose induces an amazing ennui (especially in his continual use of the past perfect in writing about events that have taken place in the past). His monotonous syntax is as dull as a butter knife, his diction rises to a C level high school term paper. The structure of the book is incoherent jumping around from place to place and character to character with nary a thought as to weaving an exciting, consistent narrative. The character of Howard Baskerville is so thinly drawn as to make the reader wonder if Mr. Aslan had bothered to research him at all. Finally, for some strange reason Mr. Aslan, at certain points, chooses to address the reader directly (like an actor employing an aside) as he does at the end of the book when he tells the reader the book is his honoring of the memory of Baskerville then poses an accusatory question: “What is yours? “ Huh?

The book seems to really to want to be a history of the fight for a Persian (Iranian) constitution in the early part of the twentieth century but it feels like some marketing department said “Hey that won’t sell in the United States is there an angle that might appeal to the American consumer?” Well, Howard Baskerville was an attractive AND young American missionary!!! That’ll do!

After making a brief appearance in the beginning of the book, Baskerville mostly disappears until the last third of it. Much of his story is conjecture. He may have said this or thought that. Did he love the daughter of his superior. How much more tragic his death would be if that were, in fact, the case. Star-crossed lovers, always a good hook. Alas, as with so much of the purported protagonist’s motivations it’s impossible to know. Aslan offers his readers essentially nothing by way of understanding why Baskerville becomes so willing to risk his life for the cause he dies for. And in this part of the book where the stakes are the highest and the action should be compelling the writing just suffocates any sense of excitement, pathos or passion.

Aslan lists one of his achievements as that of “editor”. Well, I was begging for an editor to edit this mess of a publication. Don’t waste your time with this unless you suffer from insomnia and need a good snooze. On second thought the writing is so irritating it will probably induce an annoyed insomnia.

Helpful

Charles Bookman

A Tale of Two Revolutions and a Master Class in Biography

Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2023

An Iranian-American historian and social critic tells the story of Iran's first revolution in which Howard Baskerville, An American missionary and disciple of Woodrow Wilson was martyred. In so doing, he provides missing context for today's troubled relations with Iran.

For those interested in the craft of biography, this portrait of a figure who remains obscure outside of the area of his martyrdom offers a master class. The notes are as intriguing as the story, as they outline how Aslan pieced Baskerville’s story together and told it so vividly.

Read more at Bookmanreader on blogspot.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English

Strider

著者アスランは、優れた研究者・コメンテーターであるとともに、素晴らしい語り手でもありました。

Reviewed in Japan on January 30, 2024

Verified Purchase

キリスト教宣教師・教師として赴いたペルシャ（イラン）の地で、民主主義を求める人々の情熱に感化され、彼らと肩を並べてシャーの専制に対する戦いに命を捧げたハワード・バスカーヴィルというアメリカ人宣教師の伝記です。

アメリカ合衆国とイランは今でこそ仲が悪いですが、かつてこういう人物がいて、こういう歴史があったと知ることで、考えさせられるものがあります。

著者レザ・アスランはイランで生まれ、1979年のイスラム革命直後に家族とアメリカへ移民した学者・作家で、アメリカではテレビでもお馴染みの人物です。たいへん鋭い人だと思います（Youtube で検索すると、ビデオが幾つも見つかります）。著書もこれまでに2冊邦訳出版されています（白須英子訳『変わるイスラーム：源流・進展・未来』, 藤原書店, 2009；白須英子訳『仮想戦争：イスラーム・イスラエル・アメリカの原理主義』, 藤原書店, 2010）。私は彼が優れた学者・コメンテーターであると同時に、優れた書き手、ストーリーテラーだと思いますが、本書はそのことを再確認させてくれる好著です。

Buy for others

Buying and sending eBooks to others

Image Unavailable

Follow the author

An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville Kindle Edition

Customers who bought this item also bought

From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

Reza Aslan

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries