The Political History of Iran

The memoir traces the sweeping political history of Iran in the 19th and 20th century. Despite his noble birth, Sattareh's father supports democracy and the Iranian constitution introduced in 1906. He was a general and governor of several provinces in Iran before her birth and later serves as the country's Premiere for several months. In 1921, the British orchestrated the overthrow of the independent Qajar government and put a a puppet leader on the throne, Reza Shah Pahlavi. The elder Shah was a dictator who had his political enemies tortured, including Satti's father.

Reza Shahs' greed was ultimately his downfall. By refusing to be a British pawn, he alienated the superpower that kept him in control. Satt's older cousin, Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh, was elected to parliament and eventually became the prime minister. Mossadegh passionately believed that Iranians deserved more than ten percent of the profits from...