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Sons of the Great Satan
When American teenager Joey Andrews and his family arrive in Tehran, Iran in 1976 they find an expatriate paradise within one of the world's oldest civilizations. Through the bold and imperious leadership of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, this ancient land is thrust into the modern age bringing great progress to some and seething resentment to others. It is the twilight of an empire, the last golden hours before the fall of darkness.
SONS OF THE GREAT SATAN leads the reader through a cataclysmic event as seen through the lives of the Andrews family of Peligrosa, Texas and the Zadehs of Tehran, Iran. Joey Andrews and Farhad Zadeh form a friendship amid a naive wonderland of teenage sex, drugs and rock'n'roll that explodes into a firestorm that rocks a nation.
As a work of historical fiction, SONS OF THE GREAT SATAN is a tale of culture clash, international politics, heroism, friendship, cowardice and sinister betrayal. The character and beliefs of the Shah of Iran, President Jimmy Carter and the Ayatollah Khomeini are all put to the test as the whirlwind of chaos engulfs them all. The actions of these powerful men play out on the world stage and forever change the lives of those who called Tehran home in the late 1970s.
The paths of Iran and America have been intricately bound by blood and violence for many decades. What happened between these two nations continues to reverberate today.
SONS OF THE GREAT SATAN is based on the author's impressions as a teenager living in Iran prior to the Islamic revolution. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this work are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictionally.
SONS OF THE GREAT SATAN leads the reader through a cataclysmic event as seen through the lives of the Andrews family of Peligrosa, Texas and the Zadehs of Tehran, Iran. Joey Andrews and Farhad Zadeh form a friendship amid a naive wonderland of teenage sex, drugs and rock'n'roll that explodes into a firestorm that rocks a nation.
As a work of historical fiction, SONS OF THE GREAT SATAN is a tale of culture clash, international politics, heroism, friendship, cowardice and sinister betrayal. The character and beliefs of the Shah of Iran, President Jimmy Carter and the Ayatollah Khomeini are all put to the test as the whirlwind of chaos engulfs them all. The actions of these powerful men play out on the world stage and forever change the lives of those who called Tehran home in the late 1970s.
The paths of Iran and America have been intricately bound by blood and violence for many decades. What happened between these two nations continues to reverberate today.
SONS OF THE GREAT SATAN is based on the author's impressions as a teenager living in Iran prior to the Islamic revolution. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this work are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictionally.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 7, 2011
8 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Anthony Roberts
2 books25 followersI was born in a small farm town in Kansas of Native American and Irish American parents. It was all very ‘Ward and June’ until we moved to Saudi Arabia in 1971. I lived for two years in sweltering heat of Al Khobar and then another three on the high and dry plains of At Taif, where King Faisal had his summer residence; the same King Faisal that was assassinated on his birthday by one of his many nephews over a family feud.
When I was 12 years old my father bought me a Suzuki 125 Enduro. It was the best gift of my life prior to the birth of my son. From then on I spent as much time as I could cruising around the Saudi Arabian desert, running into the occasional band of Beduins and having adventures that would be the envy of any high-spirited boy.
In 1975 we came back to find the United States mired in recession. OPEC had tripled the gas prices and jobs were scarce. Dad managed to find one, but it was half-way around the globe working for Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. At that time Tehran was the jewel of the Middle East. The Shah was pouring mountains of petro-dollars into modernization and military hardware. This created great wealth for some, good-paying jobs for the expatriate community, and seething resentment among those who felt left behind in his modern Persian Empire.
I attended Tehran American School up until the fall of 1978 when the revolution reared its ugly head. After the fire at the Cinema Rex in Abadan, followed by Black Friday in Tehran, my mother, sister and I boarded a plane and headed back to the States. My father didn’t depart until February, 1979, about two weeks after the return of Ayatollah Khomeini. Dad caught one of the last American evacuation flights out of Iran. I recall a telephone conversation with him just before he left; I could hear gunfire in the background. Dad laughed it off and told me that ‘things were a little crazy’. That was the understatement of a lifetime.
Back in the States I felt like the boy from another planet. I went from a senior class of 600 students to a graduating class of twenty-three. Twenty-two of my classmates had spent their whole lives together in small-town Kansas. I was number twenty-three. To say that I was a little different from my peers was another great understatement.
I left Kansas as soon as I could and crossed the Red River into Texas where I attended Texas A&M at Commerce. East Texas is a world unto itself with a culture as mystifying as any I’ve encountered before or since. After graduation I high-tailed it to Austin as quickly as my old wreck of an El Camino could take me. My short story, ‘Honky Tonk Gal’, from ‘Four Trails: A Quartet of Country Tales’ is an homage to East Texas, the land where ‘when there’s sinnin’ goin’ on, it’s everybody’s business’.
Austin, Texas is a fun town. If you’re young, you should live there for a few years. Each time I return to that lovely city on the Colorado river, I enjoy myself. If you can’t have a good time in Austin, then it’s your own damn fault. Seek help or make your way to the Broken Spoke on a Thursday night for a little honky tonk redemption.
Between clubbing my nights away in Austin, I took part in a little thing called the Technology Boom. The Tech Boom of the 90s was the geek’s gold rush. Fortunes were made, then squandered, and then made again. I worked for several tech companies during that time. I wasn’t a programmer or an engineer, but I did have one thing the computer wizards needed desperately. I could write. I wrote memos for my bosses, authored their white papers, created user manuals, produced product slicks and penned targeted mail campaigns. It was an incredibly exciting time to be doing exceedingly dull work. Some got rich from the boom, others broke off and started their own companies; me - I got Hawaii.
I came to Pearl Harbor on a two-year contract that stretched out to five years as government contracts are wont to d
When I was 12 years old my father bought me a Suzuki 125 Enduro. It was the best gift of my life prior to the birth of my son. From then on I spent as much time as I could cruising around the Saudi Arabian desert, running into the occasional band of Beduins and having adventures that would be the envy of any high-spirited boy.
In 1975 we came back to find the United States mired in recession. OPEC had tripled the gas prices and jobs were scarce. Dad managed to find one, but it was half-way around the globe working for Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran. At that time Tehran was the jewel of the Middle East. The Shah was pouring mountains of petro-dollars into modernization and military hardware. This created great wealth for some, good-paying jobs for the expatriate community, and seething resentment among those who felt left behind in his modern Persian Empire.
I attended Tehran American School up until the fall of 1978 when the revolution reared its ugly head. After the fire at the Cinema Rex in Abadan, followed by Black Friday in Tehran, my mother, sister and I boarded a plane and headed back to the States. My father didn’t depart until February, 1979, about two weeks after the return of Ayatollah Khomeini. Dad caught one of the last American evacuation flights out of Iran. I recall a telephone conversation with him just before he left; I could hear gunfire in the background. Dad laughed it off and told me that ‘things were a little crazy’. That was the understatement of a lifetime.
Back in the States I felt like the boy from another planet. I went from a senior class of 600 students to a graduating class of twenty-three. Twenty-two of my classmates had spent their whole lives together in small-town Kansas. I was number twenty-three. To say that I was a little different from my peers was another great understatement.
I left Kansas as soon as I could and crossed the Red River into Texas where I attended Texas A&M at Commerce. East Texas is a world unto itself with a culture as mystifying as any I’ve encountered before or since. After graduation I high-tailed it to Austin as quickly as my old wreck of an El Camino could take me. My short story, ‘Honky Tonk Gal’, from ‘Four Trails: A Quartet of Country Tales’ is an homage to East Texas, the land where ‘when there’s sinnin’ goin’ on, it’s everybody’s business’.
Austin, Texas is a fun town. If you’re young, you should live there for a few years. Each time I return to that lovely city on the Colorado river, I enjoy myself. If you can’t have a good time in Austin, then it’s your own damn fault. Seek help or make your way to the Broken Spoke on a Thursday night for a little honky tonk redemption.
Between clubbing my nights away in Austin, I took part in a little thing called the Technology Boom. The Tech Boom of the 90s was the geek’s gold rush. Fortunes were made, then squandered, and then made again. I worked for several tech companies during that time. I wasn’t a programmer or an engineer, but I did have one thing the computer wizards needed desperately. I could write. I wrote memos for my bosses, authored their white papers, created user manuals, produced product slicks and penned targeted mail campaigns. It was an incredibly exciting time to be doing exceedingly dull work. Some got rich from the boom, others broke off and started their own companies; me - I got Hawaii.
I came to Pearl Harbor on a two-year contract that stretched out to five years as government contracts are wont to d
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 16, 2011
This story will give the average reader a different perspective on living in Iran, 1976, when an empire began to crumble. Steeped with cultural situations and politics, the story plays out through two youth, an American, Joey, and a native of the land, Farhad Zadeh. In a world filled with of chaos and rebel activity, these teens will have to deal with coming of age in a land that is ancient in traditional beliefs and filled with violence.
Robert’s work is a historical fiction novel but the timing is as perfect as if it were yesterday or maybe today. Seeing the cruelty of a world through the eyes of these youth gives the reader an inside look to the cultural differences the world continues to struggle to understand even in today’s world. This is a hard-driving, no-nonsense look at life in Iran during this politically changing time. It is an eye-opening novel for this reader. It does contain violence and sexual situations but it also portrays the realistic side of life in these countries in an open and honest voice. Good read. Would be a good discussion book for a book group due to all the sociological and psychological situations and how they interplay in the culture and the choices that were made to survive this time.
Roberts states that, “The paths of Iran and America have been intricately bound by blood and violence for many decades. What happened between these two nations continues to reverberate today.” The Sons of the Great Satan is based on the author’s impressions living in Iran prior to the Islamic revolution.
Robert’s work is a historical fiction novel but the timing is as perfect as if it were yesterday or maybe today. Seeing the cruelty of a world through the eyes of these youth gives the reader an inside look to the cultural differences the world continues to struggle to understand even in today’s world. This is a hard-driving, no-nonsense look at life in Iran during this politically changing time. It is an eye-opening novel for this reader. It does contain violence and sexual situations but it also portrays the realistic side of life in these countries in an open and honest voice. Good read. Would be a good discussion book for a book group due to all the sociological and psychological situations and how they interplay in the culture and the choices that were made to survive this time.
Roberts states that, “The paths of Iran and America have been intricately bound by blood and violence for many decades. What happened between these two nations continues to reverberate today.” The Sons of the Great Satan is based on the author’s impressions living in Iran prior to the Islamic revolution.
April 23, 2017
To be totally honest,I thought it was one of the best books I have read in such a long time.Such an incredible journey.I read a lot,but this just transported me to another place.More....write more!!!!!!
March 20, 2011
A unique coming of age story, based on historical events during the Iranian revolution of the 1970’s. Sons of the Great Satan relates those times through several points of view, and gives insight into the hearts and minds of the sides involved. It offers an explanation of why events unfolded as they did. Joey experiences first hand the terrors of a nation in revolt and religious upheaval. Exciting, shocking, appalling, hilarious and heart wrenching, this book is one that will stay with me.
January 20, 2014
I love it, of course. I wrote it. Inspired by my teen years as an American expat living in Tehran, Iran from 1975 to 1978.
May 10, 2013
While sometimes crass and irreverant, it is a very accurate depiction of life as a teenager in Iran at the end of the Shah's reign. Without that crassness and irreverance, it would not be a historically significant piece.
Anthony wrote this from an eyewitness viewpoint and was successful in capturing the emotion not only of the Iranian people, but also those of the American teenagers that were profoundly impacted during those long months prior to the revolution.
Anthony wrote this from an eyewitness viewpoint and was successful in capturing the emotion not only of the Iranian people, but also those of the American teenagers that were profoundly impacted during those long months prior to the revolution.
November 18, 2012
I really enjoyed this. It's an unusual perspective and it works really well. It could use a little editing, but it's a great story set in a time that's not usually written about.
July 10, 2013
A great read for anyone. Very nicely done. The story focuses on well drawn characters. The backdrop is the Iranian revolution. I have a much clearer perspective on that time and place without having drudged through the dry reporting of an academic history lesson. I'm look forward to reading more books by Anthony Roberts.
March 3, 2013
My review on my blog: http://kazakhstanii.blogspot.com/2013...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews