The Shah (book)

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'''''The Shah''''' is a 2011 book by [[Abbas Milani]], published by [[Macmillan]]. It is a biography of [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]], the final [[Shah of Iran]].

Susanne Pari of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' stated that the biography was even-handed, lacking bias, and that it was "a fair and insightful account of a psychologically complex man who was ill-suited for a hard job, yet unable to give up or give in."<ref name=Pari>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref> Stanley Meisler, in a ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' article, also stated that the book had a neutral tone even though Pahlavi's government had previously persecuted Milani.<ref name=Meisler>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>

==Background==
Milani, in charge of [[Stanford University]]'s Iranian Studies program, was at one time imprisoned by the Pahlavi government.<ref name=Meisler/> He read diplomatic reports and other formerly classified information from Iran, the United Kingdom, and the United States as part of his research. He also conducted several interviews.<ref name=Pari/>

==Contents==
Pari stated that Pahlavi appears "distrustful and paranoid", based on failed assassination attempts and other actions against him, and that the author's research validates this portrait.<ref name=Pari/> Milani had described Pahlavi as "in the classical sense of the word, a tragic figure — a hare pretending to roar like a lion."<ref name=Meisler/> The book uses lines from ''[[King Richard III]]'' at the start of each chapter.<ref name=Pari/> The final portion of the book chronicles the overthrow of Pahlavi.<ref name=Meisler/>

==Reception==
Meisler stated that the book is "a thoughtful and colorful biography without rancor."<ref name=Meisler/> Meisler compared the overthrow of Pahlavi with the overthrow of former [[President of Egypt]] [[Hosni Mubarak]], which occurred as part of the [[Arab Spring]] at the time of Meisler's review.<ref name=Meisler/>

''[[Publisher's Weekly]]'' stated that the book is a "good source" about Pahlavi's life, but that it was "good enough to pique the reader's frustration that it isn't great."<ref name=PW></ref> ''Publisher's Weekly'' stated that some facts lacked context and therefore a reader would not know how to interpret them.<ref name=PW/>

[[Kirkus Reviews]] stated it was "an incisive portrait" of Pahlavi and "A stimulating biography and a thorough examination of the makeup of" Iran.<ref>Liquid error: wrong number of arguments (1 for 2)</ref>

==References==


==External links==
* ''[https://ift.tt/2E48enm The Shah]'' - [[Macmillan Publishers]]
[[Category:2011 books]]
[[Category:Books about Iran]]

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