An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville

An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville PDF Author: Reza Aslan
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 1324004487
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 219

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Book Description
In this erudite and piercing biography, best-selling author Reza Aslan proves that one person’s actions can have revolutionary consequences that reverberate the world over. Little known in America but venerated as a martyr in Iran, Howard Baskerville was a twenty-two-year-old Christian missionary from South Dakota who traveled to Persia (modern-day Iran) in 1907 for a two-year stint teaching English and preaching the gospel. He arrived in the midst of a democratic revolution—the first of its kind in the Middle East—led by a group of brilliant young firebrands committed to transforming their country into a fully self-determining, constitutional monarchy, one with free elections and an independent parliament. The Persian students Baskerville educated in English in turn educated him about their struggle for democracy, ultimately inspiring him to leave his teaching post and join them in their fight against a tyrannical shah and his British and Russian backers. “The only difference between me and these people is the place of my birth," Baskerville declared, “and that is not a big difference.” In 1909, Baskerville was killed in battle alongside his students, but his martyrdom spurred on the revolutionaries who succeeded in removing the shah from power, signing a new constitution, and rebuilding parliament in Tehran. To this day, Baskerville’s tomb in the city of Tabriz remains a place of pilgrimage. Every year, thousands of Iranians visit his grave to honor the American who gave his life for Iran. In this rip-roaring tale of his life and death, Aslan gives us a powerful parable about the universal ideals of democracy—and to what degree Americans are willing to support those ideals in a foreign land. Woven throughout is an essential history of the nation we now know as Iran—frequently demonized and misunderstood in the West. Indeed, Baskerville’s life and death represent a “road not taken” in Iran. Baskerville’s story, like his life, is at the center of a whirlwind in which Americans must ask themselves: How seriously do we take our ideals of constitutional democracy and whose freedom do we support?

An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville

An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville PDF Author: Reza Aslan
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 1324004487
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 219

Get Book Here

Book Description
In this erudite and piercing biography, best-selling author Reza Aslan proves that one person’s actions can have revolutionary consequences that reverberate the world over. Little known in America but venerated as a martyr in Iran, Howard Baskerville was a twenty-two-year-old Christian missionary from South Dakota who traveled to Persia (modern-day Iran) in 1907 for a two-year stint teaching English and preaching the gospel. He arrived in the midst of a democratic revolution—the first of its kind in the Middle East—led by a group of brilliant young firebrands committed to transforming their country into a fully self-determining, constitutional monarchy, one with free elections and an independent parliament. The Persian students Baskerville educated in English in turn educated him about their struggle for democracy, ultimately inspiring him to leave his teaching post and join them in their fight against a tyrannical shah and his British and Russian backers. “The only difference between me and these people is the place of my birth," Baskerville declared, “and that is not a big difference.” In 1909, Baskerville was killed in battle alongside his students, but his martyrdom spurred on the revolutionaries who succeeded in removing the shah from power, signing a new constitution, and rebuilding parliament in Tehran. To this day, Baskerville’s tomb in the city of Tabriz remains a place of pilgrimage. Every year, thousands of Iranians visit his grave to honor the American who gave his life for Iran. In this rip-roaring tale of his life and death, Aslan gives us a powerful parable about the universal ideals of democracy—and to what degree Americans are willing to support those ideals in a foreign land. Woven throughout is an essential history of the nation we now know as Iran—frequently demonized and misunderstood in the West. Indeed, Baskerville’s life and death represent a “road not taken” in Iran. Baskerville’s story, like his life, is at the center of a whirlwind in which Americans must ask themselves: How seriously do we take our ideals of constitutional democracy and whose freedom do we support?

America and Iran

America and Iran PDF Author: John Ghazvinian
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 0307271811
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 688

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Book Description
"A history of the relationship between Iran and America from the 1700s through the current day"--

Americans in Persia

Americans in Persia PDF Author: Arthur Chester Millspaugh
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Iran
Languages : en
Pages : 322

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Book Description


Daughter of Persia

Daughter of Persia PDF Author: Sattareh Farman Farmaian
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0307339742
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 434

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Book Description
An intimate and honest chronicle of the everyday life of Iranian women over the past century “A lesson about the value of personal freedom and what happens to a nation when its people are denied the right to direct their own destiny. This is a book Americans should read.” —Washington Post The fifteenth of thirty-six children, Sattareh Farman Farmaian was born in Iran in 1921 to a wealthy and powerful shazdeh, or prince, and spent a happy childhood in her father’s Tehran harem. Inspired and empowered by his ardent belief in education, she defied tradition by traveling alone at the age of twenty-three to the United States to study at the University of Southern California. Ten years later, she returned to Tehran and founded the first school of social work in Iran. Intertwined with Sattareh’s personal story is her unique perspective on the Iranian political and social upheaval that have rocked Iran throughout the twentieth century, from the 1953 American-backed coup that toppled democratic premier Mossadegh to the brutal regime of the Shah and Ayatollah Khomeini’s fanatic and anti-Western Islamic Republic. In 1979, after two decades of tirelessly serving Iran’s neediest, Sattareh was arrested as a counterrevolutionary and branded an imperialist by Ayatollah Khomeini’s radical students. Daughter of Persia is the remarkable story of a woman and a nation in the grip of profound change.

The American Task in Persia

The American Task in Persia PDF Author: Arthur Chester Millspaugh
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Economic assistance, American
Languages : en
Pages : 380

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Book Description


Which Path to Persia?

Which Path to Persia? PDF Author: Kenneth M. Pollack
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0815703791
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
Crafting a new policy toward Iran is a complicated, uncertain, and perilous challenge. Since it is an extremely complex society, with an opaque political system, it is no wonder that the United States has not yet figured out the puzzle that is Iran. With the clock ticking on Iran's pursuit of nuclear capabilities, solving this puzzle is more urgent than ever. In Which Path to Persia? a group of experts with the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings lays out the courses of action available to the United States. What are the benefits and drawbacks of airstrikes? Can engagement be successful? Is regime change possible? In answering such questions, the authors do not argue for one approach over another. Instead, they present the details of the policies so that readers can understand the complexity of the challenge and decide for themselves which course the United States should take.

Wings over Persia

Wings over Persia PDF Author: Lou Martin
Publisher: WestBow Press
ISBN: 1412001072
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 283

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Book Description
The experiences of a captain flying, from 1976 to 1979, for a charter company indirectly owned by the Shah of Iran.

An American in Persia

An American in Persia PDF Author: Richard A. Kauffman
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781931038751
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Kauffman tells stories of his encounters with Iranians, their culture, and their politics, to give witness to ways walls can break down when the stories, culture, and history of others are attended to. "Americans aren't supposed to talk to Iranians. Thank God Richard Kauffman is a Mennonite and thus open to God turning enemies into friends. This book had me transfixed-and deepened the mystery of the meaning of words like American, Iranian, and ultimately, Christian," notes Jason Byassee, Executive Director, Leadership Education, Duke Divinity. Meanwhile David Cortright, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame, believes that "Kauffman offers a rare and penetrating portrait of an ancient and proud land, and a people who are surprisingly friendly toward Americans. The book features gorgeous photographs that capture the dignity and grace of ordinary Iranians and depict the beauty of an unknown country. A must for all who want to build understanding and friendship with people our government would have us consider enemies." Laurie Blanton Pierce, Author, What Is Iran, sees the book as "much more than a travelogue. The story of his visit to Iran is interspersed with helpful background information on the country's history and culture. He examines controversial issues with thoughtfulness and an open mind."

A Taste of Persia: An Introduction to Persian Cooking

A Taste of Persia: An Introduction to Persian Cooking PDF Author: Najmieh Batmanglij
Publisher: Mage Publishers
ISBN: 1933823429
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 380

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Book Description
A Taste of Persia is a collection of authentic recipes from one of the world's oldest cuisines, chosen and adapted for today's lifestyle and kitchen. Here are light appetizers and kababs, hearty stews and rich, golden-crusted rices, among many other dishes, all fragrant with the distinctive herbs, spices, or fruits of Iran. Each recipe offers clear, easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. Most take less than an hour to prepare; many require only a few moments; many others can be made in advance. Besides its 100 recipes and 60 photographs, the book includes a useful dictionary of Persian cooking techniques and ingredients, a list of specialty stores around the nation that sell hard-to-find items, and a brief history of Persian cookery. Together these make a complete introduction to this wonderful cuisine.

Reset

Reset PDF Author: Stephen Kinzer
Publisher: Macmillan
ISBN: 1429948280
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 287

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Book Description
The bestselling author of Overthrow offers a new and surprising vision for rebuilding America's strategic partnerships in the Middle East What can the United States do to help realize its dream of a peaceful, democratic Middle East? Stephen Kinzer offers a surprising answer in this paradigm-shifting book. Two countries in the region, he argues, are America's logical partners in the twenty-first century: Turkey and Iran. Besides proposing this new "power triangle," Kinzer also recommends that the United States reshape relations with its two traditional Middle East allies, Israel and Saudi Arabia. This book provides a penetrating, timely critique of America's approach to the world's most volatile region, and offers a startling alternative. Kinzer is a master storyteller with an eye for grand characters and illuminating historical detail. In this book he introduces us to larger-than-life figures, like a Nebraska schoolteacher who became a martyr to democracy in Iran, a Turkish radical who transformed his country and Islam forever, and a colorful parade of princes, politicians, women of the world, spies, oppressors, liberators, and dreamers. Kinzer's provocative new view of the Middle East is the rare book that will richly entertain while moving a vital policy debate beyond the stale alternatives of the last fifty years.