Extremely Opinionated.

This is a huge book, but it covers a massive topic. I has a conversational tone instead of a narrative, so individual chapters have a general topic but a meandering story. There are many controversial statements presented as fact here which could be argued, but the author only mentions them in passing so you must ask yourself why it was included in the first place.

The author is constantly comparing what went on in Iran to contemporary events in Europe. This becomes impossible because each individually is a non-specific issue that covers a broad policies in Iran without detail. Also, the author stereotypes all "Europe" to include everything from the ancient Greeks to Revolutionary France.

For instance, he brings up the preception of Persia (Iran) from the Bible. That opens up a can of worms, but the author could have started with "it is beyond the scope of this book to assess the accuracy of any sacred text." But instead, the book presents what is said in the Bible as fact with two end notes that say "although it was really a composite work written centuries later." This combined with the fact in one passage he says that ancient Iranian alphabet was dropped for the "more accurate" Arabian one, but later he states flatly that the transition was a product of the Islamic invasion. He also avoids saying how Islam came by mass conversion at sword point, only saying that the older Zoroastrianism was replaced "very quickly."

The author thinks the Latin "Rex" means theocrat. He is WRONG, Rex means king or dictator which is solely secular authority.

Author admits that slavery in Iran was open to many abuses including sexual slavery, but insists that it was not as bad as what happened in Europe. The unfair comparison is unfair, especially since Europe had a whole rainbow of policies and practices over the centuries. Also, the author says that inter-racial marriages were not uncommon, but he ignores it was also forbidden and subject to all sorts of mandatory discrimination. In fact, most of the biracial children were the product of sexual slavery. But since the author does not detail how social and legal justice was dealt out, he allows the impression that slavery was unimportant.

You can obviously see where the author is coming from. But there is a lot of good information in this book, but inexperienced ears should be cautious of the lack of an overall argument or narrative and occasional factual inaccuracies.

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35 people found this helpful

A Nuanced, and Objective Masterpiece !!!!!

One thing to say if you want a Muslim bashing book you may find the author opinionated. On audible every time a book doesn't take a Muslim bashing approach in any objective or nuanced historical book, conservatives in western countries find it opinionated and not objective since it doesn't fit their ideological needs.

I have read many books on the Muslim world and took many courses on the subject. I also been deployed to Iraq in the army. Since the war drums with Iran been going on in the headlines I decided to give this beast a try. I been countering it out with Jay Solomon's "Iran Wars."

First off I only honestly did 7 chapters of this book so far which mostly covers the Safavid Dynasty but I feel I can give a good assessment of how the author approaches the issue. I am almost done with the book "The Sultan and the Queen" by Jerry Brotton and I feel that this book shows the accuracy of the time period. Which that book dealt with the economics and political situation of the Ottoman Empire with Europe this fills in the gap of the Safavid Dynasty with Europe and its regional rivals.

In this book you will get sex tales within the regimes, and many accounts of the brutal heavy handed Shahs. All the different religious clerics, religious groups, dervishes and their debates. You will hear of Iranian converts to Catholicism, and Iranian interactions with European powers. The effects of Gold inflation brought in by the new world. The effects of opium and syphilis among the population. Cultural attitudes, musical and artistic tastes. I mention these things to show you that this book is not some romanticism of Iran or the Muslim world but an objective view of the accomplishments and eccentric deviancy that's common in any medieval dynasty at the time. This dynasty just happens to be of Shia Muslims.

The narrator has a perfect scholarly accent too that will drawl you in the material. If its this objective so far and entertaining I cant wait to hear the rest of the book.

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16 people found this helpful

Most amazing history book

This book was beyond my imagination. No wonder why it is the result of 20 years of the author’s effort. I think any Iranian who is wondering why Iran fell into such a misery has to read this book. I wish I could find a Farsi copy.

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5 people found this helpful

A Masterpiece

Abbas Amant's "Iran, A Modern History" is a masterpiece worth reading for anyone interested in the history of modern Iran. If you don't have the patience to read 1000 pages, listen to the audio version. It'll be well worth your time!

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4 people found this helpful

Long, disorganized, and very long winded rambling

too long, disorganized, and seemed like the book was just more interested in length than in quality, concise organization, etc.

I will look for a book that hits more concicely , hones in on the main themes instead of just rambling on and on and on about just anything, Persian music, literature, just on and on about anything, not much organization,

plus it kind of skips to the 1500s and leaves out quite a lot of history before hand. I Was interested more in the ORIGINS of the "Persian" people, who are they really?

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3 people found this helpful

Good, detailed account.

Amanat's book is the fruit of much research into what had been an oft-troubled, but fascinating, 500 years of Iran's modern history. Well-narrated as usual by Mr Perkins.

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2 people found this helpful

A relevant point

Mr. Amanat tried and did a great job to create a detail picture of the all elements with their historic background that shapes today Iran political, and cultural landscape. He talks about Shariah and Mojtahedin, but avoids talking about fundamentalism Shiih and it's role in shaping Sunni fundamentalism.

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2 people found this helpful

An amazing story

Well written and narrated. this book is based on a good research of Iranian history.

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1 person found this helpful

Every Iranian should read this

I found it insightful and fascinating. Many things makes sense ad it creates continuity in the social and political path of Iran.

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Great but!

I learned from Dr. Amanat’s “Pivot of Universe” since it outlined events we don’t normally hear about in history classes or forums. This one is a bit more tangled. In my humble and perhaps uneducated view, I like the book because I am very familiar with the topic and found the new perspective refreshing to see it covered religion, foreign involvement in Iranian ruling regimes, to Education and music.
However I think it would be difficult for a first timer to follow it without first reading other history books on Iran.
The narration was superb in pronouncing Persian words and names as well as terms with Arabic roots.

I recommend this book to the more advance readers with a background in Iranian history.

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