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All the Shah's Men
- An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard, Jonathan Yen
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
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Publisher's summary
Half a century ago, the United States overthrew the democratically elected prime minister of Iran, Mohammad Mossadegh, whose "crime" was nationalizing the country's oil industry.
In a cloak-and-dagger story of spies, saboteurs, and secret agents, Kinzer reveals the involvement of Eisenhower, Churchill, Kermit Roosevelt, and the CIA in Operation Ajax, which restored Mohammad Reza Shah to power. Reza imposed a tyranny that ultimately sparked the Islamic Revolution of 1979 which, in turn, inspired fundamentalists throughout the Muslim world, including the Taliban and terrorists who thrived under its protection.
"It is not far-fetched", Kinzer asserts, "to draw a line from Operation Ajax through the Shah's repressive regime and the Islamic Revolution to the fireballs that engulfed the World Trade Center in New York."
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Editorial reviews
With his fast-paced narrative and deep ferreting out of the facts, Kinzer reassembles the CIA's 1953 coup of Mohammad Mossadegh, the democratically elected leader of Iran in favor of the bloodthirsty dictatorship of Mohammad Reza Shah, who is believed to have been a puppet for the US government.
If you like Robert Ludlum or John Le Carre, you'll delight in Kinzer's account of the return of the Shah to Iran. It's written and performed like a spy novel, with code names, secret meetings, and last-minute plot twists. Kinzer's a long-time, highly experienced New York Times foreign correspondent, so he's deft at crafting hard facts into compelling narrative.
Michael Prichard, a veteran narrator of everything from walking tours to military nonfiction, maintains a deliberate and steady pace. No shocking detail is overemphasized, and this contributes to the overall impact of the book.
What's most frightening is that in the middle of this listen you begin to see connections between the installation of the Shah in Iran and the events of 9/11. "Past is prologue" has rarely been as accurate as it is here.
Critic reviews
"Breezy storytelling and diligent research.... This stands as a textbook lesson in how not to conduct foreign policy." (Publishers Weekly)
"With a keen journalistic eye, and with a novelist's pen....a very gripping read." (The New York Times)
"Kinzer's brilliant reconstruction of the Iranian coup is made even more fascinating by the fact that it is true. It is as gripping as a thriller, and also tells much about why the United States is involved today in places like Afgahanistan and Iraq." (Gore Vidal)
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- By Kevin Potter on 05-30-19
By: Scott Lewis
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
- As Told to Alex Haley
- By: Malcolm X, Alex Haley
- Narrated by: Laurence Fishburne
- Length: 16 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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Experience a bold take on this classic autobiography as it’s performed by Oscar-nominated Laurence Fishburne. In this searing classic autobiography, originally published in 1965, Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream and the inherent racism in a society that denies its non-White citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time.
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it's Nearly perfect
- By Kerry on 09-16-20
By: Malcolm X, and others
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The Antidote
- Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking
- By: Oliver Burkeman
- Narrated by: Oliver Burkeman
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The Antidote is a series of journeys among people who share a single, surprising way of thinking about life. What they have in common is a hunch about human psychology: that it’s our constant effort to eliminate the negative that causes us to feel so anxious, insecure, and unhappy. And that there is an alternative "negative path" to happiness and success that involves embracing the things we spend our lives trying to avoid.
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The Antidote explores the negative path.
- By Bonny on 05-15-14
By: Oliver Burkeman
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The Parole Room
- By: Ben Austen
- Narrated by: Ben Austen
- Length: 4 hrs and 25 mins
- Original Recording
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Will Johnnie Veal—convicted of the murder of two police officers in 1970—be granted parole after 50 years in prison? How can he convince the parole board he’s reformed when he insists he’s innocent? What is prison time even supposed to accomplish? These are the questions that propel The Parole Room forward as it builds toward Johnnie’s 20th parole hearing—after 19 rejections.
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Enlightening story & a must read
- By Patsy on 10-07-24
By: Ben Austen
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I Thought It Was Just Me (but it isn’t)
- Telling the Truth about Perfectionism, Inadequacy, and Power
- By: Brené Brown
- Narrated by: Lauren Fortgang
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
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Based on seven years of ground-breaking research and hundreds of interviews, I Thought It Was Just Me shines a long-overdue light on an important truth: Our imperfections are what connect us to each other and to our humanity. Our vulnerabilities are not weaknesses; they are powerful reminders to keep our hearts and minds open to the reality that we're all in this together.
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I'm sure its great if you are a mother ....
- By Leslie A Hill on 08-09-11
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Eight Dates
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- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin, Julie McKay
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Navigating the challenges of long-term commitment takes effort - and it just got simpler, with this empowering, step-by-step guide to communicating about the things that matter most to you and your partner. Drawing on 40 years of research from their world-famous Love Lab, Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Julie Schwartz Gottman invite couples on eight fun, easy, and profoundly rewarding dates, each one focused on a make-or-break issue: trust, conflict, sex, money, family, adventure, spirituality, and dreams.
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What the F. Robot-reader???!?!?!
- By Anonymous User on 01-21-20
By: John Gottman PhD, and others
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Helter Skelter
- The True Story of the Manson Murders
- By: Vincent Bugliosi, Curt Gentry
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 26 hrs and 29 mins
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Prosecuting attorney in the Manson trial Vincent Bugliosi held a unique insider's position in one of the most baffling and horrifying cases of the 20th century: the cold-blooded Tate-LaBianca murders carried out by Charles Manson and four of his followers. What motivated Manson in his seemingly mindless selection of victims, and what was his hold over the young women who obeyed his orders? Now available for the first time in unabridged audio, the gripping story of this famous and haunting crime is brought to life by acclaimed narrator Scott Brick.
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Everything I remembered about the case was wrong..
- By karen on 06-22-12
By: Vincent Bugliosi, and others
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What listeners say about All the Shah's Men
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- NK
- 03-15-20
All the Shah’s Men
Excellent book. The narrator sounded like an old newsreel caster.
I learned so much from this book. Very well worth the time
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- Zia Pasta
- 05-23-22
well written and narrated.
This very informative book filled in much of the background I think all Americans should know. it also cleared up a number of my assumptions with facts. now I plan to listen to more of mr. kinzers work. I was impressed with his enthusiasm on democracy now!
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- Captain
- 11-14-21
Excellent
I went to Iran and visited Mossadegh’s home. Kinzer’s story telling is excellent and accurate. The narrator is also outstanding. Listen to it to understand why the world detests the United States and England.
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- Buretto
- 11-07-22
Not just democracy, but whose democracy
A very informative account of the history of Iran in the 20th century, focusing primarily on the jockeying for political position of the Pahlavi family of Shahs, and Mohammed Mosaddegh, the reformist and nationalist Prime Minister of Iran in the early 50s. And into the mix the intrigue brought by master imperialist British and the upstart American imperialists. It's a fascinating story, which is lamentably replayed in nations all over the world. Primarily, a nationalist movement towards democracy, at least notionally rooted in the American ideal, but abandoned by its mentors by being a bit too independent for their tastes. It's only democracy if it's American democracy (a trick learned from the British). All in a hysterical panic to attempt to keep these countries out of a communist sphere of influence. We've seen it in the Middle East, Latin America, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, with disastrous consequences. In this case, a direct line drawn to the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, crowning the US as the great Satan, ostensibly dethroning the British. You're welcome. In it's way it's another frustrating story, displaying the lack of will and integrity of the supposedly great democracies to stand up for true freedom and self-determination. No, no, we can't have that, not with so much money to be made.
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Overall
- Helen Olmsted
- 09-06-05
You need to hear this history
The history of U.S. involvement in Iran is largely unknown to Americans. This book is very enlightening with respect to the U.S. involvement in the Iranian coup in the 1950's. The author does an excellent job of describing the events leading up to and immediately following the coup. The history of Iran following these events is glossed over (and I would have liked to hear more on this), but that is not the focus of the book. I now have a much better understanding of the roots of the current relationship between Iran and the U.S.
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4 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Eau Claire WI
- 10-31-06
An eye opener
Having seen the influence of Colonial British in Pakistan (then India), this book brought sickening naustalgia. It is very ineresting to see how we as humans with power, make things that are none of our business, our business. And then when things go wrong, we blame everyone else but ourselves. A must read for everyone interested in longterm ramifications of un welcome intrusions into sovereignty of other countries.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Tom
- 08-21-05
A sad story
The story told her reveals the amazing obtuseness of the British government and business and the duplicity of the United States government. It helps one understand how we got where we were in Iran in 1979 and where we are today.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Daniel
- 05-26-05
A good history, but the narration could be better
Although I wasn't crazy about the narrator or sound quality, the subject matter and writing were engaging. Shame on Ike for allowing the coup to happen!
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Anil
- 05-30-04
best nonfiction book on the middle east
at a time when a it seems a new middle-east/terrorism/iraq/iran book is coming out every week- its nice to finally see a book that is based in a historical perspective. this book tells such a well-scripted story its almost easy to forget its nonfiction. the authors pacing is that of a suspense novel and his command of middle-eastern history and politics is impressive at the least. if you had to pick one book on the middle east - forget the embedded/nonembedded reporters/Bush analysis etc... and pick a book that relies on historical record rather than opinion.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Susan Squier
- 09-06-04
Why are we in Iraq? Read This and Understand
For anyone who wants to understand why we are currently in Iraq, this book on Iran is essential reading. Tracing the history of British and US interventions in Iran in the twentieth century, it provides a set of historical parallels worth some serious thought. It shows how a joint action by the USA and Great Britain against Mohammad Mossadeh, in 1953, offers an uncanny anticipation of the Bush administration's current doctrine of preemptive war. Importantly, tragically, that preemptive coup in 1953 helped to foster in the Arab world (Iran, Iraq, Afganistan) the very fundamentalist and terrorist forces that the Bush administration now invokes to justify that new doctrine of preemptive war. In short, there are some appalling precedents to the Bush doctrine: the United States today is acting in the tradition first established by Kermit Roosevelt in 1953, when with the backing of Eisenhower's White House as well as Churchill, he engineered the ouster of a man who could have brought a moderate nationalism to Iran. In removing from power the charismatic leader who nationalized the oil fields, Roosevelt's central concern was not the well-being of Iran, but the protection and extension of British and US interests in Iranian oil. The author acknowledges that such an action may have brought 25 years of stability in Iran, but he (and we as readers) are only too aware that the long-term costs for such stability are only beginning to be known. Gripping to listen to, cogently and carefully argued, this book narrates the crucial historical backdrop in Iran against which we should understand our current involvement in Iraq.
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2 people found this helpful