This is a really good book. Not only does it talk about Empress Farah's childhool, education, and marriage it also discusses about the Shah on how he tried to reform Iran and it goes into depth about the issues affecting Iran. It is also touching how she stood by the Shah during his illness and her youngest daughters suicide. It is a well written book discussing about the family's life in the states. This is a must read for a biography as well as a history lover. The book is not lenghty or boring at all. I couldn't put this book down.

Very informative insight for Iranians living in the US and abroad. Info on the downfall of the Shah and how the Carter adminstration turned their backs on the Shah and the Iranian people. Carter is a disgrace for what he did to Iran. The Shah was not the purest of governments but far better than the Khomeni revolution and the present day government.

Although like any other autobiography ,former Queen Farah's memoirs are presenting a single sided view on a regime, country and people, I have enjoyed reading this book .It gives insights on an era of conflicts and reminds of us of all the personalities who have ruled the world.

The Iranian revolution has overshadowed much of the Shah's "other" unofficial life. Most people studying Iran try to make sense of why the events had to unfold with the inevitability that they did. Ofcourse, the obvious reasons of totalitarianism and socio-economic inequity always rise to the forefront. Empress Farah's memoir provides a glimpse into the gentler side of the monarchy. The anecdotes involving the Shah as a suitor, a husband and father are far more interesting than Her Majesty's insights into the actual day to day workings of the government. Ofcourse, no one expects the Empress to stand up and provide a critical analysis of the late Shah's reign, and the reader wonders at times if Her Majesty was glossing over some of the unpleasantries of royal rule. Despite this imbalance, or perhaps because of it, the book is worthwhile in the sense that it brings back our focus to the man demonized by many scholars and historians for the decisions he made and which paved the way to the rise of political Islam. The Shah's human qualities are what endure in this memoir.

This book touches human soul, Empress Farah Pahlavi stated how Her Husband King Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was working for betterment of Iran, and Iran moved from dark ages to modern ages. And now Iran has been destroyed by looters, Iranian ladies are selling their bodies to buy food for their families.

It is must read book.

I am an Iranian who has lived in the United States since the 1979 islamic revolution in Iran that dawned one of the most BRUTAL BRUTAL AND I MEAN BRUTAL governments known to mankind. The second the last secular Prime Minister Shapour Bakthiar left Iran and the Khomeini government invaded Iran, a theocracy was born. This theocracy single handedly killed tens of thousands of Iranians in the first year alone. Mass executions my relatives had to witness, seeing people hung by cranes for reasons such as not wearing their veils (which became compulsory after 1979), wearing neckties in the streets, going out with the opposite sex in the street, and other simple freedoms we have in the United States. One by one, former generals and government employees of the shah were executed via the firing squad because rather than serving under that piece of GARBAGE ayatoillet khomeini, they would rather die. Upon his return to Iran in 1978, he was asked how he felt and the piece of garbage said simply "nothing"....and the people he murdered and the genocide he committed. Little boys were abducted in the streets ordered by khomeini himself for them to run accross mine fields to ensure they were safe...and the ones that weren't were blown up just to make sure...Now 27 years later, a burned out generation and youth who 70% were born after this hijacking, have arisen....Depressed youth in which the government follows them in every way, shape, and form......reasons being MASSIVE MASSIVE MASSIVE UNEMPLOYMENT, being told what to wear, being told how to act, not allowed to have any kind of western fun without fear of raids and repurcussions, and the list goes on.... because of this piece of GARBAGE government. The government in iran gives millions to palestine each year but pays their teachers and other social workers only 100 dollars a month and they are LUCKY just to get that!

The shah's era was a time in which Iran was brought out of the middle ages and into the modern world. An era which brought the Iranian currency equal to 7 tomans to 1 dollar (versus now 5000=1). An era in which women were seen equal in the eyes of the law and could hold any position equal to a male.....An era where anyone could choose what kind of education they want to recieve, what religion to preach, how to live their life peacefull.......An era in which every 100 college graduates had 200 jobs to select from where now every 100 have 35-40 at max leaving the balance home doing nothing all day, trying to determine who pays the bills......Yeah the cia trained savak was out of hand, and corruption within that faction were running amuck (the only area where anyone can bring up the myth of him being a "ruthless dictator")....but you know what, the shah ORDERED the arrest of the savaki leaders after he got the reports of what was going on and the corruption....The "ruthless dictator" told the troops to withdraw on black friday after 70-100 people were shot, but thousands more could have been killed but weren't. This book is a wonderful account of her life with the shah in detail.

As a man who has been born and raised in the years since the fall of Persia's monarchy, I was very interested to uncover the real history of the man my Liberal teachers declared the devil incarnate. Therefore, I read this book. I have to say that all though Her Former Majesty tells a story that cannot be neglected by anyone who wishes to know about the Shah, she comes across like many members of the Iranian upper class. In short, so high up in her Ivory Tower that she cannot see the havoc her husband's bungling wreaked on the nation he ruled. She cites the intentions of her husband to better people's lives, but not the disastrous effects of his internal policies such as "land reform," which lead only to the destruction of Iran's agriculture and the migration of conservative Muslim farmers into the slums of Tehran. On the other hand, there is nowhere else one can turn to for stories of their courtship and marriage. There is no mention, however, of her husband's well documented fondness for French call girls, which she most definately knew about. To those who wish to know about the Shah's rise and fall, I say, read this book. But do not let it be your only source. The books, "The Shah's Last Ride," and Prince Manucher Farmanfarmaian's "Blood and Oil" are vital for anyone seeking a well rounded picture of the Pahlavi Regime and the Revolution that brought it down. Again I say, Do not let this be your only source.

That is an outstanding book written by her majesty Farah pahlavi whom we, Iranians, admire and love!

I have to say, I was born in 1979 and I didnt see the era personally but this book helped me get to know it better.

I have read all the books related to the Iranian revolution and the Shah era and I can tell this book gave me a wonderful insight into the revolution though.

This is written by someone who has been close to the Persian King and has been observing every thing from the moment she entered the court. How her husband helped build an under-developed country and change it to one of the best societies of its age!

Yes, there were some problems with the government during the Shah and she admits it but given the fact that every where has its own problems, it isnt fair to blame the late Shah of Iran for the entire misconduct of the government under his reign.

I have never heard any one complaining about the life given to the Iranian people before 1979 revolution.

This is the best book, to me, on the subject and I have advised many of my friends to buy the book and use it as a useful source!