An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville

by Reza Aslan Narrated by Reza Aslan

Overview

In this erudite and piercing biography, best-selling author Reza Aslan proves that one person's actions can have revolutionary consequences that reverberate the world over.
Little known in America but venerated as a martyr in Iran, Howard Baskerville was a twenty-two-year-old Christian missionary from South Dakota who traveled to Persia (modern-day Iran) in 1907 for a two-year stint teaching English and preaching the gospel. He arrived
in the midst of a democratic revolution-the first of its kind in the Middle East-led by a group of brilliant young firebrands committed to transforming their country into a fully self-determining, constitutional monarchy, one with free elections and an independent parliament.
The Persian students Baskerville educated in English in turn educated him about their struggle for democracy, ultimately inspiring him to leave his teaching post and join them in their fight against a tyrannical shah and his British and Russian
backers. “The only difference between me and these people is the place of my birth," Baskerville declared, “and that is not a big difference.”
In 1909, Baskerville was killed in battle alongside his students, but his martyrdom spurred on the revolutionaries who succeeded in removing the shah from power, signing a new constitution, and rebuilding parliament in Tehran. To this day,
Baskerville's tomb in the city of Tabriz remains a place of pilgrimage. Every year, thousands of Iranians visit his grave to honor the American who gave his life forIran.
In this rip-roaring tale of his life and death, Aslan gives us a powerful parable about the universal ideals of democracy-and to what degree Americans are willing to support those ideals in a foreign land. Woven throughout is an essential
history of the nation we now know as Iran-frequently demonized and misunderstood in the West. Indeed, Baskerville's life and death represent a “road not taken” in Iran. Baskerville's story, like his life, is at the center of a whirlwind in
which Americans must ask themselves: How seriously do we take our ideals of constitutional democracy and whose freedom do we support?

Editorial Reviews

DECEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

Reza Aslan narrates his historical exploration of the complex American evangelist and democratizer Howard Baskerville and his work in Iran in the early twentieth century. Aslan sets a moderate pace while explaining the religious and political aspirations that were the roots of Baskerville's work. For those who are history buffs, this is an intriguing listening experience about a person they might not have previously known much about—or even heard of. Aslan comes across as intelligent, well researched, and reliable. He is as passionate a narrator as he is a researcher, and both skills benefit listeners. The overall effect is like being in a graduate seminar with a talented scholar. With great dramatic effect, Aslan explores the overlapping themes at the heart of the Persian revolution in which Baskerville suddenly found himself. M.R. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Publishers Weekly

08/29/2022

Bestseller Aslan (God: A Human History) delivers an intriguing account of the life and death of Howard Baskerville, an early 20th-century Presbyterian missionary to Persia who joined the country’s revolt against its autocratic shah. Largely unknown in the U.S., Baskerville was the son and grandson of Presbyterian preachers and embraced a vision of global democracy under the tutelage of Woodrow Wilson at Princeton University. Arriving in Tabriz in 1907, Baskerville taught English at the American Memorial School, where many of his students were involved in the fight against the shah’s attempts to invalidate the country’s fledgling constitution. Over his superiors’ objections—both the Presbyterian church and the U.S. government insisted on neutrality—Baskerville took up arms and died fighting with the revolutionaries in March 1909. Aslan, a fierce advocate for democracy in present-day Iran, forcefully rejects the idea that Baskerville was a naïve “white savior.” “Democracy,” he writes, “was either inalienable or it wasn’t.... The U.S. government may have believed the latter. But not Howard Baskerville.” Replete with fascinating asides into the revolutionary politics of the era and the complex dynamics between Russia, England, and Persia, this is a provocative portrait of an unsung American hero. (Oct.)

LA Weekly - Shana Nys Dambort

"An engrossing, entertaining, evocative, and unexpectedly cinematic story, a pleasure to read in that specific way where it’s impossible not to imagine the movie or ten-episode series in your head as you go. For both the facts of the story and Aslan’s unique ability to merge literary flourish with accessible scholarship and historical deep-dives, it’s a page-turner the likes of which are rarely produced in the historical biography genre. For its filling of a major gap in the library of geopolitical history, its resonance with the present-day strife in Iran, its echoes of other historical political battlelines in the region, and its celebration of how sincere faith of any denomination can inform a more noble and humanistic view of international relations, it’s required reading."

Tara Bahrampour

"A rip-roaring tale of a fascinating time in history… Aslan’s vivid storytelling evokes an intriguing cast of courtiers, clerics, desperados and idealists."

Kai Bird

"An astonishing story that underscores the power of biography. In Reza Aslan’s lyrical voice, Howard Baskerville’s short life comes alive as a fantastical fairy tale—a wild and improbable adventure story. [Aslan] reminds us that Iran’s revolution is quite simply unfinished."

Hooman Majd

"Beautifully written and immensely readable.… Aslan meticulously weaves Iranian–US relations with palace intrigue, Russian and British designs on Persia, and heart-stopping accounts of battles between the forces of democracy and autocracy—some seventy years before another Iranian revolution grabbed the attention of the west."

Viet Thanh Nguyen

"Reza Aslan’s An American Martyr in Persia is a stirring reminder of the power of idealism, hope, and courage in the face of tyranny and injustice. The story of Howard Baskerville is as important today as it was in his lifetime, and Aslan’s lucid prose and compelling narrative introduces him to a new generation who will find inspiration in his deeds."

Scott Anderson

"Aslan has rediscovered the tale of one of the most fascinating and enigmatic figures of the early twentieth century.… [This story] is a poignant reminder of the extraordinary affinity that historically existed between the peoples of Iran and the United States and raises the hope that this closeness might someday be kindled anew."

Laila Lalami

"Reza Aslan has a unique talent for showing how piety and politics can merge, or quarrel, in the hearts of people. An American Martyr in Persia is a fascinating and thoroughly engrossing biography. A triumph."

Azar Nafisi

"Great read, thoughtful and thought provoking. We must all pay attention to Reza Aslan’s timely reminder that ‘the suffering of any person anywhere is the responsibility of all peoples everywhere.’"

Ben Rhodes

"A remarkable history that echoes to this day, with much to teach us about modern Iran and about ourselves. Read this book and be reminded of the common humanity that can transcend even our own cavernous divides."

Wall Street Journal - Tunku Varadarajan

"Aslan tells us Baskerville’s story with passion and sweetness."

Viet Thant Nguyen

"Reza Aslan’s An American Martyr in Persia is a stirring reminder of the power of idealism, hope, and courage in the face of tyranny and injustice. The story of Howard Baskerville is as important today as it was in his lifetime, and Aslan’s lucid prose and compelling narrative introduces him to a new generation who will find inspiration in his deeds."

Hooman Majd author of The Ayatollah Begs to Differ

"Beautifully written and immensely readable story of the first Americans in Iran, and of their Iranian contemporaries who fashioned the Muslim world’s first constitution. Aslan meticulously weaves Iranian-U.S. relations with palace intrigue, Russian and British designs on Persia, and heart-stopping accounts of battles between the forces of democracy and autocracy—some seventy years before another Iranian revolution grabbed the attention of the west."

DECEMBER 2022 - AudioFile

Reza Aslan narrates his historical exploration of the complex American evangelist and democratizer Howard Baskerville and his work in Iran in the early twentieth century. Aslan sets a moderate pace while explaining the religious and political aspirations that were the roots of Baskerville's work. For those who are history buffs, this is an intriguing listening experience about a person they might not have previously known much about—or even heard of. Aslan comes across as intelligent, well researched, and reliable. He is as passionate a narrator as he is a researcher, and both skills benefit listeners. The overall effect is like being in a graduate seminar with a talented scholar. With great dramatic effect, Aslan explores the overlapping themes at the heart of the Persian revolution in which Baskerville suddenly found himself. M.R. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2022-09-22
The story of an “American Lafayette” who gave his life for Persian independence.

Religion scholar Aslan provides a unique biography of Howard Baskerville (1885-1909), a Presbyterian missionary who died leading a charge in the Persian Constitutional Revolution. The author folds Baskerville’s biography into the broader history of that revolution, which was an outcome of the authoritarianism and colonialism that marked Persia in the early 20th century. Aslan begins with a vivid account of Baskerville’s youth and his transition from the Black Hills of South Dakota to Princeton, where he fell under the influence of the university’s president, Woodrow Wilson, who sought to fashion the student body into “an army of righteous young men primed for national service.” The author shows how Wilson’s robust ideals about democracy deeply affected Baskerville, who left college for Persia to begin life as a missionary, settling into a Christian school in Tabriz. Aslan then dives into the story of the Constitutional Revolution, an episode marked by extraordinary foreign involvement, mainly by Russia and Britain. The author’s retelling of the revolution is clear and dramatic. Readers may be surprised to find that Baskerville does not join the revolutionary forces until three-quarters of the way through the book and well into the timeline of the conflict. Nevertheless, he received a command position and, at perhaps the most crucial point of the fighting, led an early-morning raid in which he was mortally wounded. His bravery, but also the timing of his death, led to his becoming a hero to the people of Persia/Iran—until the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Aslan notes that after that point, references to Baskerville basically came to an end in Iran. Largely unknown in the country where he was born and officially forgotten in the country where he died, Baskerville’s legacy emerges intact from the text.

An intriguing read that breathes life into a pivotal moment of Persian/Iranian history.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175102957
Publisher:	Recorded Books, LLC
Publication date:	10/11/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

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