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Book Review
Mark Bowden subtitled this book "The First Battle in America's War with Militant Islam." He has done extensive research and interviewed many of the people on both sides who lived the story. He begins the account with the students who planned to invade the embassy. They probably had no idea that they would succeed, but had been convinced that the Western powers, especially the United States, were the enemy of their nation and their faith. At first, after the seizure, most believed that the Iranian government would intervene to release the hostages and calm the crowds. However, Ayatollah Khomeini, after some vacillation, came down on the side of the hostage-takers (all of whom were not just students). Meanwhile, the Americans in the embassy had gone through confu- sion and fear, sure that it was only a protest that would be contained until they had all been blindfolded and tied up. Several have written about the experience. Bowden used their accounts and interviewed many of those still living and the families of others. Even though we know now the outcome, it is suspenseful to read about what it was like - unable to receive any news about their captors or what might be done to gain their release. They were happy to be alive but as the months went on, not sure that they would stay that way. The reader is not impressed with the intelligence gathering of the CIA and other U.S. resources prior to he incident. Once the hostages were taken, the U.S. options were obviously limited. President Carter and his advisors struggled with various possibilities, all of which might lead to the death of the hostages and their would-be rescuers. As weeks moved to years, the decision was finally made to attempt a rescue. Bowden explains the very complex plan and clearly explains its failure. Again, the reader is holding his breath, thinking it might work this time! The hostages were trying only to survive. Some resisted passively, but there was little they could do. Although their wardens usually said, "No speak!" when they tried to communicate, some were able to write notes or talk to each other surreptitiously. Part of the horror was that they never knew what their fate was to be. Some of the captors were not unkind, but the confinement and threat were continuous. Their individual stories make interesting reading. The incident's impact on the history of Iran and the U.S. was considerable. "More than any foreign policy episode in American history, the hostage crisis would be shaped by television." Some of us remember Walter Cronkite's intoning the "45th day" (etc.) of the standoff. In spite of the coverage, however, Bowden points out that there was very little effort made to "understand why there were mobs of fistwaving Iranians massed outside the Teheran embassy.: Bowden updates the stories of many of the hostages and the hostage takers, listing the names of the hostages and the servicemen who died in the rescue attempt. "The men and women held hostage in ran survived nearly 15 months of unrelenting fear. They were the first victims of the ineptly named 'war on terror.'"
Guesrts of th eAyatollah is available at the Mary Willis Library.
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