Back Roads and Better Angels

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Author :
Publisher : Steerforth
ISBN 13 : 1586423894
Total Pages : 734 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (864 download)

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Book Synopsis Back Roads and Better Angels by : Francis S. Barry

Download or read book Back Roads and Better Angels written by Francis S. Barry and published by Steerforth. This book was released on 2024-06-04 with total page 734 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Enlightening and inspiring.” — Walter Isaacson “Barry probes the American soul, finding its biases, but also, nurtured by its complicated past, our better angels — with an opportunity to move forward.” — Ken Burns Bringing together two of America’s unifying loves — road trips and Abraham Lincoln — Frank Barry takes readers on a thought-provoking journey into the heart of our democracy and the soul of our country A year into his marriage and having never driven an RV, Frank and his wife Laurel set out from New York City in a Winnebago to drive the nation’s first transcontinental route, the Lincoln Highway, which zigzags through small towns and big cities from Times Square to San Francisco. Using the spirit of Abraham Lincoln to guide them across the land, they hope to see more clearly what holds the country together — and how we can keep it together, even amidst political divisions have grown increasingly rancorous, bitter, and exhausting. Along the way, Frank and Laurel meet Americans whose personal experiences help humanize the nation’s divisions, and they encounter historical figures and events whose legacies are still shaping our sense of national identity and the struggles over it. This unforgettable journey is full of what makes any great road trip memorable and enjoyable: music, conversation, and laughter. By the end, readers will have a clearer picture of how we have arrived at a period that carries echoes of the Civil War era, and — using Lincoln as a guide — where the path forward lies.

The Better Angels of Our Nature

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Author :
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1101544643
Total Pages : 1154 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (15 download)

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Book Synopsis The Better Angels of Our Nature by : Steven Pinker

Download or read book The Better Angels of Our Nature written by Steven Pinker and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2011-10-04 with total page 1154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “If I could give each of you a graduation present, it would be this—the most inspiring book I've ever read." —Bill Gates (May, 2017) Selected by The New York Times Book Review as a Notable Book of the Year The author of Rationality and Enlightenment Now offers a provocative and surprising history of violence. Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millenia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species's existence. For most of history, war, slavery, infanticide, child abuse, assassinations, programs, gruesom punishments, deadly quarrels, and genocide were ordinary features of life. But today, Pinker shows (with the help of more than a hundred graphs and maps) all these forms of violence have dwindled and are widely condemned. How has this happened? This groundbreaking book continues Pinker's exploration of the esesnce of human nature, mixing psychology and history to provide a remarkable picture of an increasingly nonviolent world. The key, he explains, is to understand our intrinsic motives--the inner demons that incline us toward violence and the better angels that steer us away--and how changing circumstances have allowed our better angels to prevail. Exploding fatalist myths about humankind's inherent violence and the curse of modernity, this ambitious and provocative book is sure to be hotly debated in living rooms and the Pentagon alike, and will challenge and change the way we think about our society.

Better Angels

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Publisher : Xlibris Corporation
ISBN 13 : 146918947X
Total Pages : 546 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (691 download)

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Book Synopsis Better Angels by : Harold W. Peterson

Download or read book Better Angels written by Harold W. Peterson and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2012-04-09 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Betrayed by love and forever scarred by a war in Vietnam, Henry Allen has had enough of life in Michigan and sets out on a journey home to Alaska. Although hopeless and unconvinced that there is anything left to live for, Henry holds fast to a promise made to an old friend during the war and an overpowering desire to return home after 20 years. While the long and winding road takes him back in miles and memories, he must once again confront shadows in his past that for so long he has been able to avoid knowing that the darkest of them still awaits at his journey’s end.

Angels at the Crossroads

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Publisher : iUniverse
ISBN 13 : 1450286356
Total Pages : 354 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (52 download)

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Book Synopsis Angels at the Crossroads by : Ann H. Gabhart

Download or read book Angels at the Crossroads written by Ann H. Gabhart and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2011-01-26 with total page 354 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The chase was over. In April 1969, nineteen-year-old Jerry Shepherd stares in his rearview mirror at the two policemen approaching his car. He wants to run, make his escape, perhaps his final escape from life. Then he curls his fingers around the small Bible in his back pocket as the words Peace be still whisper through his head. He holds to those words as he steps from the car to handcuffed and arrested. Angels at the Crossroads is the compelling true story of Shepherd's amazing journey from wrongdoing to redemption. Convicted of a crime he can hardly believe he could have committed, Shepherd faces life in prison and fears not only that he won't survive behind bars, but also that he has stepped beyond the hope of prayer or forgiveness. His parents say no as they cover him with fervent prayers, but Shepherd must find his own way through the jungle of prison life to the people - earth angels - who can help him discover God's love knows no limit. On this pilgrimage to self-acceptance, Shepherd learns to forgive the past and completely and unconditionally love again. If you face a crossroads in your life, Shepherd's inspirational journey may help lead you down a new pathway to a life filled with compassion and love. Visit author Ann H. Gabhart online at www.annhgabhart.com.

Better Angels

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781636924229
Total Pages : 120 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (242 download)

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Book Synopsis Better Angels by : Linden Leliévre

Download or read book Better Angels written by Linden Leliévre and published by . This book was released on 2021-08-24 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What would it look like if Lesley and Dusty had a romantic relationship? A good Jewish girl from an upper-class upbringing and with a degree from a private college whose first musical influences were jazz singers and a Catholic singer with the voice that would define white female soul vocalists to this day. The good girl falls for the older British singer whose life would be riddled with addiction and bouts of mental health issues. How would the two traverse the winding roads of fame, being in love and losing their places in the pop music industry from the sixties? Could their careers rebound after fading away to the majority of the public? How would 2005 find them in their personal lives and in their music careers? How does their relationship end? Does it? I hope you enjoy the music, fame, passion, and heartache I've taken Lesley and Dusty through! From Chapter 1 "All the American performers were on the Mercury label. They arrive early and were chaperoned by a Mercury manager. Lesley was the last in line as they filed through the narrow hall. She stopped to look at the photographs and posters on the wall. Absorbed in a photograph of Edith Piaf, Lesley felt the presence of someone behind her. She turned to find Dusty, her arms folded across her chest and smiling. "Well, love. It's true." "Hi. I'm Lesley. What's true?" "I know. I'm Dusty. Your eyes. They are beautiful." Dusty winked, turned, and walked away.

The Better Angels

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Author :
Publisher : Abrams
ISBN 13 : 1468300326
Total Pages : 287 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (683 download)

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Book Synopsis The Better Angels by : Charles McCarry

Download or read book The Better Angels written by Charles McCarry and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2010-01-26 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this political thriller by the author of The Secret Lovers, Paul Christopher’s cousins tinker with an election while a reporter chases a lead. Originally published in 1979, The Better Angels is set close to the end of the twentieth century in a drastically changed America. The CIA has been dissolved into the Foreign Intelligence Service. It is an election year. In Washington, D.C., an Englishman crashes a cocktail party at the home of TV anchorman Patrick Graham with a secret that could shake up an already deeply polarized nation. Soon, Graham is traveling the globe in search of the explosive truth . . . From the writer the New York Times Book Review called “the genuine article,” The Better Angels is a thrilling and relevant masterwork. Praise for The Better Angels “A thinking man’s thriller with a frightening finale.” —Newsweek

The Better Angels of Our Nature

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Author :
Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 158836559X
Total Pages : 448 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (883 download)

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Book Synopsis The Better Angels of Our Nature by : S. C. Gylanders

Download or read book The Better Angels of Our Nature written by S. C. Gylanders and published by Random House. This book was released on 2006-11-14 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the eve of Shiloh, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, a mysterious visitor appears at General William Tecumseh Sherman’s camp. Without family or home, with only a uniform and the name of Jesse, this prepossessing stranger is an intriguing mix of naiveté and wisdom, ignorant of the most basic conventions of warfare yet uncannily familiar with even the most intimate details of Sherman’s personal life and career. Jesse, in turn, has only one desire: to remain by Sherman’s side–for reasons only Jesse knows and isn’t revealing. Initially unwilling to become a father figure to this beguiling visitor, Sherman is finally unable to resist such devotion and tenacity. He takes Jesse under his wing, determined to train this enigmatic creature in the art of war–and provide the strength and wisdom needed to survive its horrors. Resourceful and courageous, Jesse soon earns the respect of Sherman’s men, especially the compassionate but plain-talking surgeon, Seth Cartwright, and Thomas Ransom, a noble and handsome young infantry officer. No matter their destiny neither man can divert Jesse’s mission. But what is the truth? What is Jesse’s purpose and why has this fascinating youth appeared at this most crucial time in Sherman’s life and in the life of the bitterly divided nation? In the end we are forced to ask: Who is under whose wing? The Better Angels of Our Nature brilliantly re-creates the drama and brutality of America’s Civil War. Set in the momentous fourteen-month period spanning Shiloh and Vicksburg–a time that turned the tide of war and determined the nation’s fate–this harrowing, lyrically written novel is filled with unforgettable characters and wondrous twists that will give readers pause to reconsider events familiar to us all. Meticulously researched and movingly written, this masterwork will remain with readers long after the last page is savored.

Our Better Angels

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Author :
Publisher : St. Martin's Essentials
ISBN 13 : 1250239257
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (52 download)

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Book Synopsis Our Better Angels by : Jonathan Reckford

Download or read book Our Better Angels written by Jonathan Reckford and published by St. Martin's Essentials. This book was released on 2019-10-08 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Inspiring and insightful, Our Better Angels: Seven Simple Virtues That Will Change Your Life and the World celebrates the shared principles that unite and enable us to overcome life’s challenges together. “When the waters rise, so do our better angels.”—President Jimmy Carter Jonathan Reckford, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity, has seen time and again the powerful benefits that arise when people from all walks of life work together to help one another. In this uplifting book, he shares true stories of people involved with Habitat as volunteers and future homeowners who embody seven timeless virtues—kindness, community, empowerment, joy, respect, generosity, and service—and shows how we can all practice these to improve the quality of our own lives as well as those around us. A Vietnam veteran finds peace where he was once engaged in war. An impoverished single mother offers her family’s time and energy to enrich their neighbors’ lives. A Zambian family of nine living in a makeshift tent makes room to shelter even more. A teenager grieving for his mother honors her love and memory by ensuring other people have a place to call home. A former president of the United States leads by example with a determined work ethic that motivates everyone around him to be the best version of themselves. These stories, and many others, illustrate how virtues become values, how cooperation becomes connection, and how even the smallest act of compassion can encourage actions that transform the world around us. Here are tales that will make readers laugh and cry and embrace with passion the calling of our better angels to change the way we take care of ourselves, our families, our communities, and the world.

The Soul of America

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Author :
Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 039958983X
Total Pages : 417 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (995 download)

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Book Synopsis The Soul of America by : Jon Meacham

Download or read book The Soul of America written by Jon Meacham and published by Random House. This book was released on 2018-05-08 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear. ONE OF OPRAH’S “BOOKS THAT HELP ME THROUGH” • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY NPR • The Christian Science Monitor • Southern Living Our current climate of partisan fury is not new, and in The Soul of America Meacham shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called the “better angels of our nature” have repeatedly won the day. Painting surprising portraits of Lincoln and other presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson, and illuminating the courage of such influential citizen activists as Martin Luther King, Jr., early suffragettes Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt, civil rights pioneers Rosa Parks and John Lewis, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Army-McCarthy hearings lawyer Joseph N. Welch, Meacham brings vividly to life turning points in American history. He writes about the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the birth of the Lost Cause; the backlash against immigrants in the First World War and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s; the fight for women’s rights; the demagoguery of Huey Long and Father Coughlin and the isolationist work of America First in the years before World War II; the anti-Communist witch-hunts led by Senator Joseph McCarthy; and Lyndon Johnson’s crusade against Jim Crow. Each of these dramatic hours in our national life have been shaped by the contest to lead the country to look forward rather than back, to assert hope over fear—a struggle that continues even now. While the American story has not always—or even often—been heroic, we have been sustained by a belief in progress even in the gloomiest of times. In this inspiring book, Meacham reassures us, “The good news is that we have come through such darkness before”—as, time and again, Lincoln’s better angels have found a way to prevail. Praise for The Soul of America “Brilliant, fascinating, timely . . . With compelling narratives of past eras of strife and disenchantment, Meacham offers wisdom for our own time.”—Walter Isaacson “Gripping and inspiring, The Soul of America is Jon Meacham’s declaration of his faith in America.”—Newsday “Meacham gives readers a long-term perspective on American history and a reason to believe the soul of America is ultimately one of kindness and caring, not rancor and paranoia.”—USA Today

The Gift Of Belonging

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Publisher : Dog Ear Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1457570912
Total Pages : 82 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (575 download)

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Book Synopsis The Gift Of Belonging by : Bradley Jon Gustafson

Download or read book The Gift Of Belonging written by Bradley Jon Gustafson and published by Dog Ear Publishing. This book was released on 2019-10-16 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charitable community living is a tall order, and this is just a short book about small moments in one life. But its 52 stories confirm a compelling truth; that for human hearts in search of connection there are no small nor insignificant moments. The Gift Of Belonging is the first of a “year of weeks” series of Wildbird Books, one experiment in a larger range of experimental steps being taken toward charitable community living, all by a growing flock of new and old friends in one small corner of the world. This book is about the grace that lifts and surrounds all those who know they belong. As such, this book is about each of us wherever we live, starting where we are with who we are, on our own back roads home to fully belonging. “Read your whole book before we ever touched the Dallas dirt. Laughed and cried and loved, loved, loved every page….loved.” ~ J. Semmes, Oxford, Mississippi “I’ve stopped reading with four stories to go; I don’t want the book to end.” ~ L. Harper, Sullivan’s Island, SC “I’ve re-read most of the year of weeks and loved the pieces even more—ranging from “damn good” to BRILLIANT. What a gift you have for writing. A true watering hole! Actually I found the photos as intriguing and beautiful as the written work—glad they’re given prominence. To Eric and Ollie! ~ Rev. Dr. Bert Keller, Charleston, SC

The Wall and the Bridge

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Author :
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300259085
Total Pages : 249 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis The Wall and the Bridge by : Glenn Hubbard

Download or read book The Wall and the Bridge written by Glenn Hubbard and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2022 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An informed argument for an economic policy based on bridges of preparation and adaptation rather than walls of protection and exclusion "When technological change and globalization in recent decades brought frustration over the resulting losses to jobs and communities, there were no guardrails to get these workers back on track. As this compelling book shows, our nation is going to need bridges to help people get through the unavoidable transformations."--Edmund Phelps, 2006 Nobel Laureate in Economics and author of Mass Flourishing Free-market economists often have noted that there are winners and losers in a competitive capitalist world. The question of how to deal with the difficult real-life consequences faced by the losers, however, has largely been ignored. Populist politicians have tried repeatedly to address the issue by creating walls--of both the physical and economic kinds--to insulate communities and keep competition at bay. While recognizing the broad emotional appeal of walls, economist Glenn Hubbard argues that because they delay needed adaptations to the ever-changing world, walls are essentially backward-looking and ultimately destined to fail. Taking Adam Smith's logic to Youngstown, Ohio, as a case study in economic disruption, Hubbard promotes the benefits of an open economy and creating bridges to support people in turbulent times so that they remain engaged and prepared to participate in, and reap the rewards of, a new economic landscape.

The Better Angels of Our Nature

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Author :
Publisher : Penguin Books
ISBN 13 : 0143122010
Total Pages : 834 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (431 download)

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Book Synopsis The Better Angels of Our Nature by : Steven Pinker

Download or read book The Better Angels of Our Nature written by Steven Pinker and published by Penguin Books. This book was released on 2012-09-25 with total page 834 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think this is the most violent age ever seen. Yet as bestselling author Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true.

Bay Area Backroads

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Publisher : Chronicle Books
ISBN 13 : 9780811820912
Total Pages : 180 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (29 download)

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Book Synopsis Bay Area Backroads by : Doug McConnell

Download or read book Bay Area Backroads written by Doug McConnell and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Every week, hundreds of thousands of Northern Californians tune in to Bay Area Backroads for the best ideas on day trips, weekend getaways, and other adventuresit's the highest-rated local TV program in the San Francisco Bay Area. This first book from host Doug McConnell features 50 of his best backroad explorations, primarily in the immediate San Francisco Bay Area, but also extending to the northern redwoods, east to the Sierra Nevada, and south to San Luis Obispo. Each destination features gorgeous color photographs by Stacy Geiken. Including both unique approaches to popular destinations and a wide variety of lesser-known sights, Bay Area Backroads provides adventurers and armchair travelers alike with a fun new way to see Northern California.

No Way to Treat a Child

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Publisher : Bombardier Books
ISBN 13 : 1642936588
Total Pages : 299 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (429 download)

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Book Synopsis No Way to Treat a Child by : Naomi Schaefer Riley

Download or read book No Way to Treat a Child written by Naomi Schaefer Riley and published by Bombardier Books. This book was released on 2021-10-05 with total page 299 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Kids in danger are treated instrumentally to promote the rehabilitation of their parents, the welfare of their communities, and the social justice of their race and tribe—all with the inevitable result that their most precious developmental years are lost in bureaucratic and judicial red tape. It is time to stop letting efforts to fix the child welfare system get derailed by activists who are concerned with race-matching, blood ties, and the abstract demands of social justice, and start asking the most important question: Where are the emotionally and financially stable, loving, and permanent homes where these kids can thrive? “Naomi Riley’s book reveals the extent to which abused and abandoned children are often injured by their government rescuers. It is a must-read for those seeking solutions to this national crisis.” —Robert L. Woodson, Sr., civil rights leader and president of the Woodson Center “Everyone interested in child welfare should grapple with Naomi Riley’s powerful evidence that the current system ill-serves the safety and well-being of vulnerable kids.” —Walter Olson, senior fellow, Cato Institute, Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies

Road Angels

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Publisher : Harper San Francisco
ISBN 13 : 9780060698690
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (986 download)

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Book Synopsis Road Angels by : Kent Nerburn

Download or read book Road Angels written by Kent Nerburn and published by Harper San Francisco. This book was released on 2002-05-16 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A midwestern skeptic embarks on a witty, compelling journey from the frozen plains of Minnesota to California in search of answers to life's most vexing questions. Reprint.

Better Angels

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Author :
Publisher : Ace
ISBN 13 : 9780441006526
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (65 download)

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Book Synopsis Better Angels by : Howard V. Hendrix

Download or read book Better Angels written by Howard V. Hendrix and published by Ace. This book was released on 1999 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a prequel to Lightpaths & Standing Wave. Spanning the first turbulent decades of the twenty-first century, it revolves around the mystery of an ancient, alien artifact & the transcendent effect it has on five people whose lives & relationships are forever altered by its discovery.

The Last Shah

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Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 030021779X
Total Pages : 332 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (2 download)

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Book Synopsis The Last Shah by : Ray Takeyh

Download or read book The Last Shah written by Ray Takeyh and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2021-01-26 with total page 332 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The surprising story of Iran's transformation from America's ally in the Middle East into one of its staunchest adversaries "An original interpretation that puts Iranian actors where they belong: at center stage."--Michael Doran, Wall Street Journal "For the clearest view of Iran for the last 100 years, this book is it."--Marvin Zonis, author of Majestic Failure: The Fall of the Shah Offering a new view of one of America's most important, infamously strained, and widely misunderstood relationships of the postwar era, this book tells the history of America and Iran from the time the last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, was placed on the throne in 1941 to the 1979 revolution that brought the present Islamist government to power. This revolution was not, as many believe, the popular overthrow of a powerful and ruthless puppet of the United States; rather, it followed decades of corrosion of Iran's political establishment by an autocratic ruler who demanded fealty but lacked the personal strength to make hard decisions and, ultimately, lost the support of every sector of Iranian society. Esteemed Middle East scholar Ray Takeyh provides new interpretations of many key events--including the 1953 coup against Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadeq and the rise of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini--significantly revising our understanding of America and Iran's complex and difficult history.