Every story has two sides - and this is Farahs romanticized version of Iran under the Pahlavi reign. Of course the intent of the Monarchy was noble and their vision for a westernized progressive country very real.But her shocking reaction to the Iranian peoples discontent and their subsequent embracing of ANY other regime, no matter how radical - is proof that she still refuses to be accountible for the part that the royal family played. There are serious documentations of the flip side of the coin. Just read the journalistic documentation of Kapunscinskis SHAH OF SHAHS, which leaves little doubt of the medieval, brutal tactics SAVAK employed to silence anyone who dared to speak uo against the excess, greed and corruption that was prevalent among the royal family, who had lost touch with their subjects as a result of their obsession for westernization. The book is entertaining, despite the sometimes awkward syntax, translated literally from French. It is certainly not educational being one-sided and thus biased. Farah Dibas story will probably be mostly appreciated by nostalgic expats for its emotional value, but should not be a reference point for anybody seeking historical facts about "the good old days in Iran".
Having spent part of my childhood in Persia, I enjoyed this book immensely. Farahs style of writing is friendly, touching, and so enjoyable. I was sad to finish this book and wanted to keep on reading. Thank you Farah, for this gem of a book.
I read this book with every expectation of a history of Iran during this period. Farah Diba writes a nice portrait of her husband, as if he were a benign leader and as if the Pahlavi family did good words. She omits that Amnesty International for years during the shahs reign said he had the worst human rights record in the world. The Pahlavis have no royal blood, but Farah doesnt mention this either. The shahs fathter was a poor and crude military man who joined the Cossak brigade and overthrew the corrupt Qajar dynasty. Then he declared himself shah, and a corrupt one at that. "All the Shahs Men" is a fine book by a New York Times reporter that details this history. It seems nothing has changed about how the Pahalvis spin a story. Farah writes a pleasant tale, but did she think wed believe this? This isnt even complementary to the other real history books, its a puff piece designed to aggrandize the Pahlavis.
