<p>Iran thundered onto the world stage in 1979 with an Islamic revolution that shook the world. Today that revolution has gone astray a popular democracy movement boldly challenges authority and young Iranians are more interested in moving to America than in chanting &quot;Death to America.&quot; Afshin Molavi born in Iran and fluent in Persian traveled widely across his homeland exploring the legacy of the Iranian revolution and probing the soul of Iran a land with nearly three millennia of often-glorious history. Like a master Persian carpet maker Molavi weaves together threads of rich historical insight political analysis cultural observation and the daily realities of life in the Islamic republic to produce a colorful intricate and mesmerizing narrative. Originally published in hardcover under the title Persian Pilgrimages this paperback edition is revised with a new introduction and epilogue.</p>