The writer, producer and scholar of religions launches his new book, "An American Martyr in Persia: The Epic Life and Tragic Death of Howard Baskerville." Registration is requested, not required.
This event will be recorded by C-SPAN for BookTV.
From the publisher: "The #1 New York Times best-selling author of "Zealot" recounts the spellbinding tale of an unrecognized American martyr for democracy. As a student of Woodrow Wilson at Princeton, Howard Baskerville was aflame not only with the gospel of Jesus, but with the Wilsonian gospel that constitutional democracy is the birthright of all nations. Rather than become a small-town minister like his father in South Dakota, he volunteered for missionary service in Persia.
Tabriz in 1907 was a hotbed of democratic revolution. Brilliant young firebrands were among Baskerville’s students at the Presbyterian school—and became his devoted friends. He lectured on freedom; they dedicated their lives to it. Soon he would join them on the battlefield.
Was Howard Baskerville the 'American Lafayette' of Iran, or a naive 'white savior' stumbling into Persian affairs? 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?"
Reza Aslan is an internationally acclaimed writer, producer, and scholar of religions. He is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller "Zealot," and editor of "Tablet & Pen: Literary Landscapes from the Modern Middle East. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
Presented in partnership with Labyrinth Books and Princeton University's Sharmin and Bijan Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Iran and Persian Gulf Studies and with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
