King of Kings

In his masterful and gripping account of the Iranian revolution, Scott Anderson gives us a page-turning history lesson that is more relevant than ever: A story of American diplomatic blunders and miscalculations that led to the loss of a vital ally and the commencement of hostilities that have roiled the world for nearly four decades. Taking us inside the fortified walls of the shah’s palaces, King of Kings lays bare the folly and hubris that led to the shah’s demise, the hostage crisis and a radical theocracy that would reshape the Middle East.

Rajiv Chandrasekaran, author of National Book Award finalist IMPERIAL LIFE IN THE EMERALD CITY

Instantly absorbing, King of Kings is an exhilarating plunge into the psychology of unchecked power, which secludes, blinds, and ultimately betrays its holders. Anderson is a master of the telling detail; he gives us lessons not only from the Shah’s undoing but also from Washington’s weakness for rigid assumptions—until history, as it so often does, shatters the illusion of control.

Evan Osnos, author of the National Book Award winner AGE OF AMBITION

Anderson’s brilliant new account of the events leading to the shah’s fall is both masterful and mesmerizing. With bracing clarity, drawing from interviews with direct participants, King of Kings shows senior Iranian and U.S. officials sleepwalking into a disaster with global consequences—and one that was far from inevitable. A must-read for anyone looking to understand the origins of the Middle East’s most dangerous regime.

Joby Warrick, author of BLACK FLAGS: THE RISE OF ISIS, winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction

The Iranian Revolution was one of the most momentous events of the Twentieth Century, one whose reverberations continue to shape the Middle East. In this highly readable and probing book, Scott Anderson revisits the events of that critical year, and draws on previously unknown information to chart the course of events that made what seemed improbable to become inevitable: the fall of the monarchy before a triumphant revolution.

Vali Nasr, Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at the School of Advanced Studies of Johns Hopkins University and the author of IRAN’S GRAND STRATEGY: A POLITICAL HISTORY