Reviews
“DELIGHTFULLY READABLE, GENUINELY INFORMATIVE AND IMPRESSIVELY LITERATE”
“A magnificent, bold, wide-reaching and potentially significant book on the thorny subject of Iranian-American relations…”
“Throws fresh historical light on the original exchanges between Americans and Iranians, and shows us fascinating historical characters, brought vividly to life with pen portraits and amusing anecdotes…. This is history as history should be written: accessible, humane, thoughtful, insightful and in places extremely funny… someone just has to get a copy of this book to the White House, fast.”
The Catholic Herald
“Beautifully laid out and at times reading like a thriller you don’t want to put down...”
“…the book reveals how what began as mutual admiration devolved into fraught ties, and finally to mutual loathing. With missed opportunities for friendship going back decades, if not centuries, Ghazvinian deftly shows us when, where and why things went (and still do go) wrong. If ever the question ‘why do they hate us’ arises in the Iranian context, just read this book.”
Hooman Majd, author of The Ayatollah Begs to Differ and other books on Iran
“An excellent single-volume history of a fraught international relationship....”
“In this relevant, highly elucidating work, Ghazvinian… employs the poetic theme of the changing of seasons as he moves through the evolving relationship between the U.S. and Iran—from “spring,” when American colonists indulged in “Persophilia” (a romantic idealization of Persian culture and society) to “winter,” the current season, begun when the Islamic Revolution of 1979 brought chants of “death to America.” …. His decadelong, intensive research results in an evenhanded, revelatory narrative in which the author avoids muddying the waters with an overt political agenda.”
Kirkus (starred review)
“Luminous”
“Reading the luminous America and Iran is like watching a tragedy unfold on a giant movie screen: The spectacle of two countries transiting from allies to enemies. The myopia of those in power. The fears that cloud clear thinking. The forces that resist change. Even so, Ghazvinian still holds out hope.”
Robert Vitalis, author of America’s Kingdom: Mythmaking on the Saudi Oil Frontier
“Perhaps no other high-stakes geopolitical rivalry on the planet is marred by more bias, partisanship, and misinformation than US-Iran relations....”
“With the authority earned from a lifetime of studying the Middle-East, Ghazvinian discards the agenda-driven narratives and leaves you with the history and context necessary to understand the complex relationship between two countries that will continue to impact geopolitics for the foreseeable future.”
Reza Sayah, PBS special correspondent in Tehran
“Nuanced, illuminating and much-needed”
“Ghazvinian distills much complicated history into a lucid, graceful narrative studded with vivid profiles….”
Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)
“Timely and vividly engaging”
“Captures the details of this complex relationship and clearly explains how both countries have been forced to respond to each other positively and harshly based on historical circumstances and conditions…. Readers interested in the history of US-Iran and Middle Eastern politics and history will find Ghazvinian’s book to be richly telling and in-depth.”
Library Journal
“A compelling and insightful read”
“A nuanced version of history…. Ghazvinian eschews headline-grabbing histrionics and makes a much more convincing argument instead — that olive-branch offerings and measured international diplomacy can lead to roads of reconciliation between two sworn enemies….”
Toronto Globe and Mail
“Mr Ghazvinian has a witty style”
The Economist
“An outstanding new book on the history of U.S.-Iranian relations”
“The book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the changing nature of the relationship between our countries. It is extensively researched and very well-written. One of the most interesting and important contributions that the book makes is to use both American and Iranian archival sources to reconstruct events. That naturally creates a richer and more complete picture of what happened, and it also reflects the author’s desire to close the massive gap in understanding that has opened up between Americans and Iranians. Anyone who reads the book will come away with a deeper understanding of the policy decisions and political upheavals that have shaped this relationship.”
The American Conservative