King of Kings

Written with a journalist’s instincts and the plotlines of a thriller, King of Kings is the most compelling account yet of the revolution in Iran – an event so significant that it continues to shape world affairs today. An outstanding book * Eugene Rogan, author of The Fall of the Ottomans * Thrilling and fully authoritative... this is the gold standard account of the Shah’s fall, with fresh dramatic tales and arresting details from the last living players. An epic and heart-breaking tragedy * Azadeh Moaveni, author of Guest House for Young Widows * King of Kings delivers remarkable new insights into one of history’s least understood upheavals – the Iranian revolution. Rich in detail and gripping portraits of the individuals at the heart of the tragedy, this book gets to the essence of how this unique revolution succeeded — and why it cannot be replicated * Kim Ghattas, author of Black Wave * Anderson uses his incomparable prose to crack open the deep story behind one of the most momentous events of the last decades. An important and riveting book’ * Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm * This absorbing account of the 1979 Iranian revolution unravels the story of how the nation's seemingly invulnerable leader, Shah Pahlavi, was forced into exile, and the ensuring hostage crisis that rattled American confidence and singed its reputation in the Middle East * New York Times * King of Kings chronicles the fall of Iran's Shah—a man feared by many but understood by few. This account examines how hubris, Cold War tensions, and revolutionary fervor toppled a monarchy whose ruler pursued modernization while remaining fatally disconnected from his people, the shockwaves of which still reverberate through international relations today * Bradley Hope, bestselling co-author of Billion Dollar Whale and Blood and Oil * A riveting, masterfully told account of how the Shah’s downfall became a tragic turning point in history, as America stumbled blindly into a long and costly conflict that shadows the Middle East to this day. A must-read... urgent and unforgettable. -- Steve Coll, Pulitzer Prize winning author of Ghost Wars Masterful and gripping ... Taking us inside the fortified walls of the shah’s palaces, King of Kings lays bare the folly and hubris that led to the shah’s demise, the hostage crisis and a radical theocracy that would reshape the Middle East. -- Rajiv Chandrasekaran, author of National Book Award finalist IMPERIAL LIFE IN THE EMERALD CITY Forensically reported and deeply researched, King of Kings is a brilliantly absorbing, page-turning account of the Iranian Revolution. Scott Anderson is one of the very best narrative historians writing today -- Wendell Steavenson, author of The Weight of a Mustard Seed Instantly absorbing, King of Kings is an exhilarating plunge into the psychology of unchecked power, which secludes, blinds, and ultimately betrays its holders. Anderson is a master of the telling detail; he gives us lessons not only from the Shah’s undoing but also from Washington’s weakness for rigid assumptions—until history, as it so often does, shatters the illusion of control. -- Evan Osnos, author of the National Book Award winner AGE OF AMBITION