I frequently lament my choices in books to read, especially history books. This thousand-page detailed account of the last 350 years of Iran's history falls squarely into that category. Most of the last third of the book (mid 20th century to present) is interesting and valuable to understand the current politics and social dynamics of the region today. The detailed history of poetry, literature, film, art, and culture surrounding the secular, religious, social, and political dynamics is just too much and I do *not* recommend the book for light reading. I did learn a lot, though. The political and religious dynamics of the Khomeni reign of terror was particularly interesting and the 21st century (contemporary) details are fantastic background to understand the current revolution and why it will succeed. 2/5 Stars.
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