His entry begins:I’m reading Harold Schechter’s Killer Colt: Murder, Disgrace, and the Making of an American Legend, a couple of weeks before it’s released. It’s the story of the Colt brothers, one the famous firearm manufacturer, the other a cold-blooded murderer (something I didn’t know). I love true crime books, and Schechter is a master of the genre—his books read like novels but every detail is meticulously researched and true. As a New Yorker, I’m always fascinated with Gilded Age New York—for it’s a city that is still recognizable in so many places—and apart from providing me with a history lesson about my city, this book also satisfies my enduring curiosity about...[read on]Among the early praise for The Ayatollahs' Democracy:
“Regardless what you happen to think of Majd's political analysis (I happen to mostly agree with it), he has the most detailed and gripping reporting of the Iranian electionsRead more about The Ayatollahs' Democracy, and visit Hooman Majd's website.to date…. I encourage the White House to get a copy of Majd's book. And for Dish readers to pre-order it.”
—Patrick Appel, The Atlantic.com
“The first fifty pages of this book would make a Sundance-winning film, but the meat of the book explores, in vividly readable style, the evolving concept of Islamic democracy, the widespread support for nuclear power, and the historical pride and resistance to western intervention. A well-connected insider with the eye of a master psychologist, Majd gives us a nuanced, in-depth portrait of a country both far more sophisticated and far less rigid than western policymakers have yet appreciated.”
—Lesley Hazleton, author of After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split
Watch Jon Stewart's interview with Hooman Majd on The Daily Show.
The Page 69 Test: The Ayatollah Begs to Differ.
Writers Read: Hooman Majd.
--Marshal Zeringue
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