The Shah’s Last Ride (Magill Book Reviews)

Mohammed Reza, the Shah of Iran, ruled his country for thirty-seven years, and for most of that time the Western nations, especially the United States, saw him as a progressive monarch who was leading his nation into the modern world. Through internal reforms (the “White Revolution” proclaimed by the Shah) and external strength (massive weapons purchases from the United States), the Shah would make Iran one of the five major powers of the globe. During the second half of the 1970’s this dream fell apart, and by February, 1979, the Shah was in exile, seeking vainly for a country that dared give him shelter.

William Shawcross’ engrossing narrative is built around this dramatic flight of the Shah. While the deposed monarch sought safety on three continents, international power politics turned his former allies--in particular the United States--into unwilling hosts. Riddled with cancer, the Shah became a pawn in the game of major and minor states and statesmen, manipulated by Panamanian dictators and New York bankers. In the end, only Anwar Sadat allowed a dying man to find refuge in Egypt.

How the once-mighty Shah fell and was abandoned by his allies is the theme of Shawcross’ book, and he carefully interweaves the history of the Pahlavi dynasty and the Shah’s reign into the tale. The result is a compelling and comprehensive account of modern events at their most dramatic and most personal.

Sources for Further Study

Chicago Tribune. October 2, 1988, XIV, p. 6.

Library Journal. CXIII, October 15, 1988, p. 94.

Los Angeles Times Book Review. October 30, 1988, p. 1.

The New Republic. CXCIX, October 10, 1988, p. 30.

The New York Review of Books. XXXV, November 10, 1988, p. 17.

The New York Times Book Review. XCIII, November 6, 1988, p. 18.

Newsweek. CXII, November 7, 1988, p. 122.

Publishers Weekly. CCXXXIV, August 12, 1988, p. 434.

Time. CXXXII, October 24, 1988, p. 93.

The Washington Post Book World. XVIII, August 28, 1988, p. 1.