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The Fall of Heaven
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<h2 id="background">Background</h2> <p>Andrew Scott Cooper, born in <a href="/facts/New_Zealand/4mpSlJdg">New Zealand</a>, previously worked for <a href="/facts/Human_Rights_Watch/X265jj8r">Human Rights Watch</a> as a researcher.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> The author, who does not understand Persian,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> used declassified documents from the U.S. federal government made around the period of the Shah's overthrow,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> as well as interviews of members of Pahlavi's government and family, including that of <a href="/facts/Shahbanou/xY51CACb">Shahbanou</a> <a href="/facts/Farah_Pahlavi/H0G39k20">Farah Pahlavi</a>. Brent G., an author of a review of the <a href="/facts/Center_for_the_Study_of_Intelligence/U7urmQYL">Center for the Study of Intelligence</a>, <a href="/facts/Central_Intelligence_Agency/U7urmQYL">Central Intelligence Agency</a>, stated that the book "relied heavily" on these interviews.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a> The family members were in various locations.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> Cooper stated that interviewers felt more comfortable talking to him since he was not Iranian.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> Roham Alvandi, an associate professor at the <a href="/facts/London_School_of_Economics_and_Political_Science/L8SkGefj">London School of Economics and Political Science</a> stated that his lack of Persian fluency made it easy for his interviewees to manipulate him.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="content">Content</h2> <p>Brent G. stated that the author describes <a href="/facts/Farah_Pahlavi/H0G39k20">Farah Pahlavi</a> as "a frustrated reformer" in a "flattering portrait" and that according to the book Farah "probably deserves more credit than contemporary observers gave her".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> Cooper stated a belief that <a href="/facts/Sayyid/g5BAtTrk">Sayyid</a> <a href="/facts/Musa_Sadr/zD4QyFuM">Musa Sadr</a> would have been a good leader of Islamic moderates in Iran.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="reception">Reception</h2> <p>Alvandi stated that the book is a "refreshingly revisionist account".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> </p><p><a href="/facts/Aram_Bakshian/X7aUAUmH">Aram Bakshian</a> wrote in the <i><a href="/facts/Washington_Times/5EkQeEne">Washington Times</a></i> that the book "is thoroughly researched and documented" and "is also highly readable and does justice to the tragic grandeur of his subject."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> </p><p>Charmaine Chan of the <i><a href="/facts/South_China_Morning_Post/WXB6N2Gd">South China Morning Post</a></i> ranked the book four of five stars and described it as "a page-turner, especially when it relives the day-by-day events leading to the shah’s flight to exile."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a> </p><p>David Holahan of the <i><a href="/facts/USA_Today/mMa7JSPN">USA Today</a></i> ranked the book three and one half of four stars.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> </p><p><i><a href="/facts/Publishers_Weekly/dKIIbrLw">Publishers Weekly</a></i> described it as "a fascinating, distinctive, and personal account of the Shah and his rule."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> </p><p>Jay Freeman of <i><a href="/facts/Booklist/kepkzXC9">Booklist</a></i> stated that the book "is a fine revisionist study".<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> </p><p>Brent G. concluded that the book "is more nuanced and balanced than most other Shah biographies to date" although he believed it was inferior to <i><a href="/facts/The_Shah_(book)/pEWWrtDE">The Shah</a></i> by <a href="/facts/Abbas_Milani/fVbhqWl0">Abbas Milani</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a> He stated it had "excessive" positive statements about Pahlavi and that sections of the initial chapters "read like a panegyric he might have drafted to convince [members of Pahlavi's family and government] to lend him their time and memories."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> </p> <ul><li>Alvandi, Roham (Winter 2017). <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/647580/pdf">"The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran by Andrew Scott Cooper (review)"</a>. <i><a href="/facts/The_Middle_East_Journal/uFRlqhPC">The Middle East Journal</a></i>. 7 1 (1). <a href="/facts/The_Middle_East_Institute/HQeP6l2w">The Middle East Institute</a>: 155–156.</li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> <ul><li><i><a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250304858">The Fall of Heaven</a></i>—<a href="/facts/Macmillan_Publishers/enNEBMM2">Macmillan Publishers</a></li> <li><a href="https://archive.org/details/fallofheavenpahl0000coop"><i>The Fall of Heaven</i></a> at the <a href="/facts/Internet_Archive/PHStU8Lo">Internet Archive</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Chan, Charmaine (2016-09-02). "Book review: a revisionist take on the last shah of Iran". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2018-11-29. <a href="https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/2010612/book-review-revisionist-take-last-shah-iran" target="_blank">https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/2010612/book-review-revisionist-take-last-shah-iran</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>Alvandi, p. 155. <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>Alvandi, p. 156. <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>Chan, Charmaine (2016-09-02). "Book review: a revisionist take on the last shah of Iran". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2018-11-29. <a href="https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/2010612/book-review-revisionist-take-last-shah-iran" target="_blank">https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/2010612/book-review-revisionist-take-last-shah-iran</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>Alvandi, p. 156. <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:6"><p>Nazila, Fathi (2016-08-26). "A new look at the Shah, his fall and how it continues to shake the world". Opinions. The Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-11-29. <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-new-look-at-the-shah-his-fall-and-how-it-continues-to-shake-the-world/2016/08/26/f3c4251c-49ed-11e6-bdb9-701687974517_story.html" target="_blank">https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-new-look-at-the-shah-his-fall-and-how-it-continues-to-shake-the-world/2016/08/26/f3c4251c-49ed-11e6-bdb9-701687974517_story.html</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:7"><p>"The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran". Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved 2018-11-29. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170911181559/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-61-no-2/the-fall-of-heaven.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20170911181559/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-61-no-2/the-fall-of-heaven.html</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:8"><p>Alvandi, p. 156. <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:9"><p>Chan, Charmaine (2016-09-02). "Book review: a revisionist take on the last shah of Iran". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2018-11-29. <a href="https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/2010612/book-review-revisionist-take-last-shah-iran" target="_blank">https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/2010612/book-review-revisionist-take-last-shah-iran</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:10"><p>Alvandi, p. 156. <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:11"><p>"The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran". Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved 2018-11-29. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170911181559/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-61-no-2/the-fall-of-heaven.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20170911181559/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-61-no-2/the-fall-of-heaven.html</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:12"><p>Alvandi, p. 156. <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:13"><p>Alvandi, p. 156. <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:14"><p>Bakshian, Aram (2016-10-25). "BOOK REVIEW: 'The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran'". Washington Times. Retrieved 2018-11-29. <a href="/wiki/Aram_Bakshian" target="_blank">/wiki/Aram_Bakshian</a> <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:15"><p>Chan, Charmaine (2016-09-02). "Book review: a revisionist take on the last shah of Iran". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 2018-11-29. <a href="https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/2010612/book-review-revisionist-take-last-shah-iran" target="_blank">https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/books/article/2010612/book-review-revisionist-take-last-shah-iran</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:16"><p>Holahan, David (2016-08-25). "Book sheds new light on Shah of Iran's last days". USA Today. Retrieved 2018-11-29. <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2016/08/14/the-fall-of-heaven-the-pahlavis-and-the-final-days-of-imperial-iran-book-review/88522424/" target="_blank">https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2016/08/14/the-fall-of-heaven-the-pahlavis-and-the-final-days-of-imperial-iran-book-review/88522424/</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:17"><p>"The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran". Publishers Weekly. 2016-05-30. Retrieved 2018-11-29. <a href="https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8050-9897-6" target="_blank">https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-8050-9897-6</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:18"><p>Freeman, Jay (2016-06-01). "The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran". Booklist: 24–25 (cited, p. 25). - Printed on June 1 and 15, 2016 <a href="https://www.booklistonline.com/The-Fall-of-Heaven-The-Pahlavis-and-the-Final-Days-of-Imperial-Iran-Andrew-Scott-Cooper/pid=8180298" target="_blank">https://www.booklistonline.com/The-Fall-of-Heaven-The-Pahlavis-and-the-Final-Days-of-Imperial-Iran-Andrew-Scott-Cooper/pid=8180298</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:19"><p>"The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran". Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved 2018-11-29. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170911181559/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-61-no-2/the-fall-of-heaven.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20170911181559/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-61-no-2/the-fall-of-heaven.html</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:20"><p>"The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran". Center for the Study of Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved 2018-11-29. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170911181559/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-61-no-2/the-fall-of-heaven.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20170911181559/https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/vol-61-no-2/the-fall-of-heaven.html</a> <a href="#fnref:20" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>