Review: 'Titan of Tehran' uniquely blends history, memories

Shahrzad Elghanayan, the granddaughter of the late Iranian industrialist Habib Elghanian, has written a book about her grandfather’s life

“Titan of Tehran,” by Shahrzad Elghanayan (AP Books)

When most of us get curious about our family history, we pay a visit to Ancestry.com. Shahrzad Elghanayan is not most of us.

She is the granddaughter of Habib Elghanian, arguably one of the most famous Iranian industrialists of all time, whose rise and fall mirrored that of his homeland. She’s also an award-winning photo journalist, trained to recognize a good story when she sees one.

For readers not familiar with Iranian history, this story is broadly summarized on the book’s cover: “Titan of Tehran: From Jewish Ghetto to Corporate Colossus to Firing Squad — My Grandfather’s Life.” Elghanayan opens in a narrative style, recounting how her father set up a shortwave radio in the family’s New York bathroom so he could hear the news from Iran in the spring of 1979. On May 8, 1979, he learns of his father’s execution: “While our black shortwave droned on in the cold marble bathroom, my grandfather’s bullet-riddled body languished in the prison morgue, with a cardboard sign around his neck. It read: ‘Habib Elghanian: Zionist Spy.’”