Some readers of this book appear too harsh on the author.
The book is certainly not the pinnacle of the art of biography. Ghani's prose is hesitant, almost amateurish. The book is also full of factual errors and tedious repetitions.
But the subject, a soldier who rose to become the King of Kings of Iran, one of the oldest monarchies in the world, is fascinating enough to compensate for the author's weaknesses.
Also, Ghani must be commended for sifting through a mass of British official documents about a critical period in Iranian history. He has been unable to analyze the documents and point out their relevance to events. But the fact that he offers them in good order is no mean achievement.
I give Ghani's book two stars if only because he has created new interest in Reza Shah, one of the greatest figures of the 20th century Middle East.
Interested Reader

I read this book in both English and Farsi just to compare and also to refresh my mind with all the detail it provided. Call it strange, but I did not find a dull sentence in this book, nor did I think the material was just a cut and paste collage. C. Ghani has systematically presented material that needs time to be absorbed by our current knowledge of this issue. I think the book is excellent. Perhaps all the controversy would be eliminated if the book's title would have been, "Iran and the Rise of Reza Shah Based on The Archives of Imperialist England," or something like that.

I would suggest this book to anyone who has an interest in Reza Khan. I would hope that a similar book would be written based on the archives of Russia or Belgium as various readers have suggested, but that does not mean this book is not a grand contribution. I would like very much to read Eric Laurey's "Belge En Perzie." Maybe instead of criticzing Mr. Ghani, he should translate his work into English so that more people could read it. I for one would be very interested in reading the Belgian point of view.

As I browsed through the comments posted on this page, I kept wondering what all the controversy was about surrounding this book. From my point of view, all the criticism this book has received so far rests on very false foundations. I am very disappointed to see that in this stage of human history, people still molest a scholar calling his work 'oriental history writing.' I'm so pleased to see that I am not the only person to be taken aback by this extremist remark. Maybe it is time that we too asked people to address our scholars with respect. Isn't it funny how every time an Iranian writes a book, someone from England employs this phrase to discount their effort (A similar comment is on Farmanfarmaian's book, Blood and Oil)? Why is that?

IRAN AND THE RISE OF REZA SHAH, a most informative and meticulously researched enterprise undertaken by Cyrus Ghani, is an accurate history of the period, without embellishment, that amirably fills the general void in impartiality on this subject in recent years. The stellar dramatis personae in this admirable book, admired or reviled by contempoarary Iranians, have been very objectively treated by the author, who follows in the steps of his late father, Dr. Ghassem Ghani, a distinguished diplomat and writer himself. The historian, researchher or writer will have much to learn and gain by this book. It should be a must in libraries and centers of education. Yousof A. Mazandi