AUTHOR | PLAYWRIGHT | SCREENWRITER | SPEAKER

 I finished the last page of ‘Devotion’ by Jerry Green at 5:34 a.m. with the same feeling one has of drinking the last drops of a fine bottle of wine. I shed much tears as well. In fact, many emotions gripped me during the reading of the book.  My wife read it when it came out and loved it. Throughout the book your father’s love for her [his wife, Princess Shams], one that lasted some fifty years, shines through as does his faith in God, love of family, King and Country. I smiled, laughed, felt proud and shed tears reading this excellent story. Set against a historical panoramic epoch it is also a tale of an amazing life but one led with love, courage, and as the title reveals, devotion.  It is a very honest book and revealing. Few Iranians would bare their souls in such an open way and Jerry Green’s magic touch, writing style, and sensitivity enriched the text in ways that a dry history or biography would not have. Your father’s sense of humour, and his serous undertakings, coupled with the eccentric and complex relationship of your parents filled me with joy. There were many funny scenes to balance out the tragic and sad episodes experienced in your family. The revolution may have ended a way of life, but Mr. Mehrdad Pahlabod … even as he attained his 100th birthday … lived an extraordinary life during extraordinary times. This is a unique and very readable account of a marvellous man and his times.

Cyrus (K)