Amazon.com
There is probably no person better suited to write this book on Iran's cultural and political transformation than Robin Wright. She has traveled to Iran as a reporter since 1973, when the country was "one of the few comfortable places for foreigners"--including women--to live and work, a place where "short skirts were acceptable" and women "wore bikinis on the beach." But the revolution in 1979 changed all that: "For anyone who'd been to Iran before, the new Islamic Republic of Iran seemed almost like a different country." There was the revival of religious fundamentalism, the hostage crisis, a costly war with Iraq, the sponsorship of terrorism, and Iran-Contra. Iran became one of the most perplexing and vital beats in all of journalism, a touchstone for Middle Eastern politics and an emerging presence on the world stage--and Wright has been there for more of it than any other foreigner.
The Last Great Revolution is a sweeping portrait of a misunderstood country. Much of it is anecdotal rather than analytical, but all is in the service of illuminating what Wright calls "the world's only modern theocracy." She writes of an airline stewardess who gave Wright Band-Aids to cover her nail polish before entering the country and a customs official who ripped up her deck of playing cards one by one. But there are also unexpected opportunities for women (they can become engineers and lawyers), plus a measure of religious freedom (there are communities of Christians and Jews). Old and new ways are in constant conflict: "All the current signs indicate that the Islamic Republic is not likely to survive in its current form." --John J. Miller
From Publishers Weekly
Few Western journalists are more familiar with postrevolutionary Iran than Wright (In the Name of God: The Khomeini Decade, etc.). Wright first traveled to Iran as a young reporter in 1973 and has made dozens of excursions to the country since the 1979 Islamic revolution. Going beneath the veil, as it were, of contemporary Iran, Wright reveals several cultural trends that have occurred inside the political revolution itself and argues that these "revolutions within the revolution" will be lasting. She shows not just how Islam has impacted Iran but how the people of Iran have impacted Islam, liberalizing it and setting in motion changes that will be as far-reaching for Islam as the Reformation was for Christianity. Wright paints a fascinating portrait of a complex society in which women--despite headscarves--enjoy considerable empowerment in the workplace and politics, in which the arts thrive and there is greater religious tolerance than many readers will have supposed (Iranian Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians enjoy their own reserved seats in Parliament). Wright argues that the results of all these combined religious, political and cultural trends will eventually mark Iran's as the last great revolution of the modern era, on a par with the French and Russian revolutions. Wright's combination of reportorial immediacy and historical perspective makes her book the most accessible guide yet to a country where the battle between modernity and tradition is heating up. Illus. not seen by PW. (Feb.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This is a highly engaging book about the Iranian revolution of 1978-79 and its transformative impact on Iranian society. Written by an American journalist who has covered Iran for the past 20 years, the book offers unique insights into the complexities of Iranian society and culture that will be both informative and entertaining for American readers whose views of Iran are, typically, distorted by stereotypes and misperceptions. Wright, whose previous book on Iran (In the Name of God: The Khomeini Decade) covered the first ten years of the Islamic Republic, seeks to explain both major and nuanced changes that have taken place in Iran during the second decade of the revolutionary period. Wide-ranging, the book covers such issues as Islamic reformism, voices of dissent, and love and marriage. This well-written and highly readable book is recommended for public libraries.-Nader Entessar, Spring Hill Coll., Mobile, AL Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Beliefnet
The fervor of the early years of Iran's Islamic Revolution has worn off. Disillusionment and diversity have flourished. Iranians accept Islam as the foundation of their society, but not without substantial disagreement over exactly what that means. Robin Wright interviewed an eclectic array of thinkers, administrators, parliamentarians, and men and women on the street. They each have their own notions of what an Islamic Republic should look like, what its citizens should be allowed to do, how democracy should work, and who should have the ultimate authority. ....Wright believes that most Iranians favor liberalization, while conservatives fear that Khatami will prove to be another Gorbachev and undo the revolution. The conservatives still wield power, which they have used with a heavy hand in the past two years. Nonetheless, Wright thinks that their days are numbered. She is probably correct. The clergy still run the country, but they no longer command respect. ....Iranians, in short, have grown weary of being told what to believe and how to behave. The revolution is permanent, but the winds of change are blowing, and blowing hard.
The New York Times Book Review, Max Rodenbeck
Wright succeeds both in presenting a reasoned critique of a climactic 20th-century event and in making us sympathize with a people struggling to grasp the slippery reins of history.
From Booklist
For Americans whose enduring memories of Iran are of the Ayatollah Khomeini and the hostage crisis, it may seem odd to characterize what's happening in Iran as a great revolution, but Wright gives a fascinating account of the changes in that nation in the past 20 years. A journalist who has covered Iran during this period, Wright analyzes the stages of the revolution and the use of religion in the push for political power. She examines the unique blend of Islamic religion and European laws that Iran continues to employ. She provides insights into Iranian leaders--from Khomeini to Rafsanjani to Khatami--and the social, political, and religious forces that formed each man and his ideas. Wright talks to journalists, educators, politicians, entertainers, and others to present a picture of the cultural and political changes in Iran: the softening of cultural restrictions, the empowerment of women, and the modernization of industry and the economy. Vanessa Bush
From Kirkus Reviews
A timely assessment of Iran by the Western reporter perhaps best-equipped to make it. Wright, who in Sacred Rage (1985) traced the rise of militant Islam, and in In the Name of God (1989) covered the first decade of the Khomeini revolution, intended to make a human journey inside 20 years of revolution. Much of her material reflects that purpose: interviews about the cultural revolution, descriptions of local geography, and excellent reporting on the ambivalence of a theocracy to love, marriage, and sex (to entrench the revolution, the age of marriage in females was reduced from 15 to 9; but then, to deal with a population spiraling out of control, extraordinarily frank birth control guidance was decreed). In truth, however, she came very close to covering a new revolution. The demonstrations of July, 1999, were, she notes, ``the biggest and boldest challenge to an Iranian government since the revolution.'' Only the firmness of the reactionary clergy and the continued loyalty of the army saved the regime. Nor is the challenge over. Given a deteriorating economic situation, up to 40 percent inflation, unemployment at 25 percent, the clergy widely unpopular, elections due early next year, and many of the most obscurantist groups facing re-election, the situation could surely change again. Wright concludes that the ``Islamic republic is not likely to survive in its current formalthough its ruthless use of power to screen out hostile candidates, its draconian thought-crime laws, and its death squads would seem to conflict with her broader theory that the Iranians have taken bigger steps in defining a modern Islamic democracy (or at least posed fewer obstacles to that prospect) than any other Muslim country. But this book is still far and away the most balanced, thoughtful, and comprehensive overview of a strategic and important country. -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
"Wright succeeds both in presenting a reasoned critique of a climactic 20th century event and in making us sympathize with a people struggling to grasp the slippery veins of history.”–The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Wright succeeds both in presenting a reasoned critique of a climactic 20th century event and in making us sympathize with a people struggling to grasp the slippery veins of history.??The New York Times Book Review
Book Description
Robin Wright has reported from over 120 countries for many leading news organizations, but her perceptive coverage of Iran has garnered her the most respect and praise among her colleagues. In The Last Great Revolution, Wright meticulously describes the ongoing transformation of society, politics and religion that ranges from the empowerment of women to the blossoming of a movie industry and an independent press. She demonstrates why Iran's Islamic revolution equals the French and Russian revolutions in new ideas and impact, while standing alone as "the last great revolution" of the modern era.
From the Publisher
"Anyone interested in Iran can only rejoice in the riches unearthed... Wright's reporting is comprehensive and meticulous... Her analysis offers an invaluable context for understanding the changes that seem imminent in Iran... An exceptional contribution to the understanding of a mysterious and maligned nation."-- Washington Post
"Wright succeeds both in presenting a reasoned critique of a climactic 20th-century event and in making us sympathize with a people struggling to grasp the slippery veins of history... Blending interviews, acute observation and informed analysis, Wright explores the changes wrought by two decades of revolutionary turmoil... The mosaic that emerges is convincing, both as an intimate portrait of Iranian society and an interpretation of Iran's experiment with Islamic governance."-- New York Times Book Review
From the Inside Flap
Robin Wright has reported from over 120 countries for many leading news organizations, but her perceptive coverage of Iran has garnered her the most respect and praise among her colleagues. In The Last Great Revolution, Wright meticulously describes the ongoing transformation of society, politics and religion that ranges from the empowerment of women to the blossoming of a movie industry and an independent press. She demonstrates why Iran's Islamic revolution equals the French and Russian revolutions in new ideas and impact, while standing alone as "the last great revolution" of the modern era.
From the Back Cover
"Wright succeeds both in presenting a reasoned critique of a climactic 20th century event and in making us sympathize with a people struggling to grasp the slippery veins of history.??The New York Times Book Review
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