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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
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.
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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: William B. Irvine
- Narrated by: Brian Troxell
- Length: 4 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Some people bounce back in response to setbacks; others break. We often think that these responses are hardwired, but fortunately this is not the case. Stoicism offers us an alternative approach. Plumbing the wisdom of one of the most popular and successful schools of thought from ancient Rome, philosopher William B. Irvine teaches us to turn any challenge on its head. The Stoic Challenge, then, is the ultimate guide to improving your quality of life through tactics developed by ancient Stoics, from Marcus Aurelius and Seneca to Epictetus.
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Rehashing of points in Irvine's previous work
- By Anon a Mus on 10-17-20
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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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Caffeine
- How Caffeine Created the Modern World
- By: Michael Pollan
- Narrated by: Michael Pollan
- Length: 2 hrs and 2 mins
- Original Recording
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Michael Pollan, known for his best-selling nonfiction audio, including The Omnivores Dilemma and How to Change Your Mind, conceived and wrote Caffeine: How Caffeine Created the Modern World as an Audible Original. In this controversial and exciting listen, Pollan explores caffeine’s power as the most-used drug in the world - and the only one we give to children (in soda pop) as a treat.
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Leaves much to be desired
- By Melody H on 02-02-20
By: Michael Pollan
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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
By: Brené Brown
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Fingerprints of the Gods
- The Quest Continues
- By: Graham Hancock
- Narrated by: Graham Hancock
- Length: 18 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Fingerprints of the Gods is the revolutionary rewrite of history that has persuaded millions of listeners throughout the world to change their preconceptions about the history behind modern society. An intellectual detective story, this unique history audiobook directs probing questions at orthodox history, presenting disturbing new evidence that historians have tried - but failed - to explain.
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Classic in Historical Mysteries
- By Kelly on 09-05-19
By: Graham Hancock
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A Must Read
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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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Overall
- Jeffrey
- 06-01-04
Engaging and highly informative
A very engaging book that illuminates some of the darker sides of historical US foreign policy in the mid-east, and explains a major part of the roots of anti-american sentiment in that part of the world.
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- A. Ashtiani
- 01-17-19
Wonderful
Absolutely loved it! So beautifully written, amazing story. Couldn't stop listening to it. Very highly recommended!
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- Cory Brickner
- 02-23-15
Remember the past or be condemned to repeat it.
What did you love best about All the Shah's Men?
The historical context that surrounds Iran and its people. The author did a phenomenal job framing the story. I think it shows the problems with "American Exceptionalism" and the unintended consequences our interference in sovereign nations causes.
Who was your favorite character and why?
This book is one of history and politics, not one of fiction, so I don't have a "favorite character." Anyone interested in the Middle East, what happens there and why, needs to purchase this book.
What does Michael Prichard bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
In some ways I didn't like the narrator. His voice was like an AM radio announcer from the past and his breathy gasps between words at times grated on my nerves. I wanted to offer him an asthma inhaler. This was my own quirk and it may not impact you, so I didn't want to be too harsh on the rating.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I did actually have a large empathetic reaction to the Iranian people. I think if the people of our country could understand the historical contexts of other countries, we'd be less likely to condone the use of force on them and expect that we could interject our cultural experiences and values on other people. It also prevents the political establishment and the military industrial complex from making an overly simplistic argument of "us vs. them." It's not. Iranians, Iraqis, Russians, Ukrainians, Syrians, Lybians, etc., are human beings also irrespective of their leadership. Do you deserve to be held accountable for President Obama's actions, or former President Bush? What if the shoe was on the other foot? Dropping bombs on them doesn't solve the problem, it only creates blowback. We need to get back to Jefferson's "Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations-entangling alliances with none." Killing people, destroying lives, and imposing our will on others for 70+ years and counting, I think the people need to reflect on what our country's foreign policy has wrought and change its direction back towards the scope of Jefferson's wise inaugural pledge.
Any additional comments?
Eisenhower condoned the overthrow of the Mosaddegh government when he took office even though the Truman presidency resisted it. I think it is fitting that just 8 years later he said, "we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex." He foresaw the consequences of his actions that brought the CIA to power and foreshadowed the out-of-control shadow agencies that our country now contends with.
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- M. Fry
- 01-17-16
A required reading for an understanding of Iran
Very good information but the structure of the book is not conducive to an audio experience. Most notably, rather than a chronological narrative it is broken into chronologies of particular aspects. This led to some confusion of the context around which events were happening. This would almost certainly not be a problem in the print edition.
The reader was easy to listen to and I appreciated the change of tone applied to quotations.
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-27-19
Engrossing
Great story and narration. I had no idea the history of the coup in Iran was so interesting.
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- HarveyH
- 05-16-17
Vital history.
Exceptional coverage of vital history that should be common historical knowledge of U.S. and Middle East affairs. The author extols the former Iranian leader Muhammad Mosaddegh whose overthrow is the central topic of this book. As well he should. An honorable man whose story is well worth the read.
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- Frequent buyer
- 05-13-20
Fascinating insight into Irans troubled history
For those who wants to understand how and why Iran became the country it is today.
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- Christopher R Gibbs
- 06-08-22
simply thought provoking! and engaging
as engaging and fair-minded as the book is, I, unfortunately I might add, had some trouble finding the tone of the narrator's voice throughout the jading reading of the climactic and pivotal events. it could've been done with a bit of "bravado" and "showmanship", other than that, the book remains largely satisfying with accounts and details from almost all sides with a crisp of admiration for a man who once was a major political participant.
Enter this book knowing that; one is not rid of all biases one has to forsake before writing such detailed accounts.
I gave it an overall 5 simply because of the admiration the author had for the "resilient Iranian culture" (one can't be rid of all biases I suppose).
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- Edward H. Heyburn
- 06-13-19
The truth about America in Iran
Finally a book that details the history of Iran as it is entangled with culture, religion and foreign countries. Before America can enter into any relationship with Iran, All of the Shah’s Men must be read, understood and learned. Brilliant book that should be mandatory reading in world history.
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Overall
- D. Keith
- 04-10-04
The Law of Unintended Consequences writ large
I already knew something about the events that Kinzer describes here, but he tells the tale in a captivating fashion with rich detail and excellent historical background. He presents his conclusions in a balanced way, but his case against this American involvement is very compelling and makes me shudder when I consider the unintended consequences that could result from our latest Gulf adventure. This as the stated intended consequence of a stable, democratic, and friendly Iraq is looking more and more like a pipe dream turning into a nightmare. Truman emerges from this story as a real hero with the longer view of the dangers while various British and American leaders (particularly the Dulles brothers) are shown to be blinded by their own arrogance and in the end brought about incalculable harm.
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14 people found this helpful