The Fall of Heaven
2016 book by Andrew Scott Cooper
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran is a 2016 book by Andrew Scott Cooper. It documents the Pahlavi family and the overthrow of the Shah of Iran.
| |
| Author | Andrew Scott Cooper |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Contemporary history, biography |
| Publisher | Henry Holt and Co. |
Publication date | August 2, 2016 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Pages | 608 |
| ISBN | 9780805098976 |
| OCLC | 922169321 |
| Preceded by | The Oil Kings: How the U.S., Iran, and Saudi Arabia Changed the Balance of Power in the Middle East |
Cooper stated that the person who succeeded Pahlavi as Iran's ruler, Ruhollah Khomeini, unfairly tainted Pahlavi's image and that the shah was a "benevolent autocrat".[1] The book's primary audience is the lay public rather than academics.[2] Cooper stated that The Fall of Heaven "is not intended as the final word on Mohammad Reza Shah or the 1979 revolution—far from it".[3]
Background
Andrew Scott Cooper, born in New Zealand, previously worked for Human Rights Watch as a researcher.[1] The author, who does not understand Persian,[3] used declassified documents from the U.S. federal government made around the period of the Shah's overthrow,[4] as well as interviews of members of Pahlavi's government and family, including that of Shahbanou Farah Pahlavi. Brent G., an author of a review of the Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency, stated that the book "relied heavily" on these interviews.[5] The family members were in various locations.[3] Cooper stated that interviewers felt more comfortable talking to him since he was not Iranian.[1] Roham Alvandi, an associate professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science stated that his lack of Persian fluency made it easy for his interviewees to manipulate him.[3]
Content
Brent G. stated that the author describes Farah Pahlavi as "a frustrated reformer" in a "flattering portrait" and that according to the book Farah "probably deserves more credit than contemporary observers gave her".[5] Cooper stated a belief that Sayyid Musa Sadr would have been a good leader of Islamic moderates in Iran.[3]
Reception
Alvandi stated that the book is a "refreshingly revisionist account".[3]
Aram Bakshian wrote in the Washington Times that the book "is thoroughly researched and documented" and "is also highly readable and does justice to the tragic grandeur of his subject."[6]
Charmaine Chan of the South China Morning Post ranked the book four of five stars and described it as "a page-turner, especially when it relives the day-by-day events leading to the shah’s flight to exile."[1]
David Holahan of the USA Today ranked the book three and one half of four stars.[7]
Publishers Weekly described it as "a fascinating, distinctive, and personal account of the Shah and his rule."[8]
Jay Freeman of Booklist stated that the book "is a fine revisionist study".[9]
Brent G. concluded that the book "is more nuanced and balanced than most other Shah biographies to date" although he believed it was inferior to The Shah by Abbas Milani.[5] He stated it had "excessive" positive statements about Pahlavi and that sections of the initial chapters "read like a panegyric he might have drafted to convince [members of Pahlavi's family and government] to lend him their time and memories."[5]