In 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini's followers abducted fifty-two American citizens and held them hostage for 444 days. The crisis that followed is a watershed in modern history. Acclaimed author Mark Bowden tells this shocking and unforgettable story through the eyes of the hostages, their Iranian captors and the American special operations soldiers and pilots who tried to end the crisis with one swift, violent strike. Guests of the Ayatollah is the epic account of the first American showdown with Islamist fundamentalism.