Mark Bowden's Guest of the Ayatollah blog

Thank you for participating in this online Q&A with author Mark Bowden. Look for more of Bowden's work in The Atlantic.

Mr. Bowden,

As a young(er), thirtysomething journalist, I was awestruck at the meticulous level of reporting you were able to repackage into a clear and gripping book. I read it in record time and hold the work up as the type of journalism I long to do. I can imagine the reams of material you must have that did not make it into even a 600+ page tome, so I'm hoping you can help me with some perspective. I'm about to head over to Iran on assignment: Nothing political, but a 3,000-mile journey around the land in an attempt to discover what everyday Iran is like. For me, some of the most telling portions of your book came at the end, when you assess what the great Third Way looks like 25 years down the road. In light of the recent turmoil in Lebanon with the Iranian regime reportedly behind the curtain, I'm wondering what you think the situation for an American on the ground in Iran would be like today. I've heard numerous reports that Iranians are incredibly friendly, do like America, and would probably be shocked and thrilled to meet a Yank at this time. I've traveled in the Middle East and I'm not worried about anything that common sense can handle but your book portrays Iran as a place where common sense isn't always the dominant currency. Thoughts?


Tim N


I expect you will have a fascinating trip, Tim, and will be warmly received everywhere, even by those who will tell you that America is The Great Satan. When I was in Iran the only things I worried about were the traffic, which is nightmarish and deadly, and the slight chance that some official would decide to accuse me of being a spy. Since I had been open with the authorities about who I was and what I was doing, I figured that the worst thing that might happen was that David and I might be expelled from the country. I figured that was a remote possibility.
Thanks for your nice comments about my book. I am glad you enjoyed it! -- MB

Dear Mr. Bowden,
I have been watching 'Guests of the Ayatollah' on the Discovery Times network, and it is absolutely riveting. This all happened at a time in my life when I had 2 small children, and although I was well aware of what was happening at that time and felt badly for the hostages and their families, I was unaware of many of the details you present so compellingly in these shows. Now, I am very anxious to read your book.
Sandy K.


Good, Sandy! That’s the way we hoped it would work. -- MB

Mr. Bowden,

We have seen Iran gain an unprecedented level of power in the Mid-East as of late. They have considerable influence in Iraq and certainly in Lebanon. We as a country have neither the troop strength nor the national will to invade Iran, and it’s clear that we'll soon pull out of Iraq, leaving a power vacuum that the mullahs in Tehran will gratefully fill. Have we already lost?

Sincerely,

A Worried Young Man


Time will tell, AWYM. Here’s an attempt at perspective. You say you are a young man. I am old, at 55, or rapidly getting there. When I was young, the U.S. was in the crosshairs of thousands of nuclear warheads. In 1962, when I was in grade school, we came within 20 minutes or so of an all-out nuclear exchange that would have ended life as we know it, at least in the northern hemisphere, and possibly beyond. It was, by far, the most dangerous period of human history. Today we live in a far less dangerous world, although it SEEMS more dangerous because of the omnipresent media (who profit by trumpeting conflict and disaster), and because of the world is a far less predictable place than it was. There are more small conflicts around the world, and we hear about and see pictures from all of them.
I hope we can help stabilize Iraq. Hezbollah (and Iran) face a stubborn, smart, and tenacious enemy in Israel, and may have blundered by provoking her. Things could end badly, from our perspective, in both places, or might end in a way we prefer. But these are just battles in a long war, one that we are powerfully positioned to win, almost overwhelmingly so. My sense is that the world, particularly the Middle East, will remain violent and confused for the rest of my life and beyond, and that our own nation’s stability is secure. We will not live to see the end of trouble. -- MB

Mark, i dunno if you read these or not, but my dad, who's an author, insists that authors want to know about typos in their books. Publishers apparently couldn't care less.

In Guests Of The Ayatollah, page 537, 6th line, there's an unneeded hyphen in professional ("pro-fessional").

Page 624, 4th paragraph, 4th line; "The slightly built, balding man, he was delivering..." Seems like it should either be "A slightly built..." or drop the "he".

Thanks for your time.

Adam F.


Your father is right, Adam. I am grateful for your corrections, and will forward them to my publisher. -- MB