Was an Oklahoman a CIA agent in Iran? It's part of 'Off the Radar,' featured on NPR's Diane Rehm Show

               Imagine having a father who you thought might be a CIA agent. Imagine having a father who was the “other hostage” taken during the Iranian hostage crisis. Imagine having a mother who is defending your father in a court where execution is the usual verdict.
                All of this actually happened during the childhood of Cyrus M. Copeland, who has written the recent book “Off the Radar: A Father’s Secret, A Mother’s Heroism, and a Son’s Quest.”
               The book traces Cyrus' childhood while growing up in Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis and then his investigation into whether his father, Max, was actually a CIA agent working there.
               There's also an Oklahoma connection to this intriguing story: Max is originally from Grove. Cyrus recounts in the book how he returned to Oklahoma to trace how his father grew up here and why he eventually left the state and the country.
                 "Max Copeland is a quiet, academic-minded corporate executive who has been seized by Revolutionary Guards and charged with a capital crime: espionage," the book's promotion says. "Max is a laconic Okie who might be more than the studious administrator he seems."
                 Cyrus recently was recently interviewed on NPR's Diane Rehm Show and also has written about his book for the Huffington Post. He also promised to come to Best of Books when he visits the state again.
                  The author wrote to Best of Books that the Rehm show was "great exposure, that -- more than anything else --- ... helped the book *not* to live up to its title." The subject of radars actually plays an integral part of the story and his father's work.
                   Max is the only Iranian hostage who's not part of the U.S. embassy crisis in which 66 other Americans are held hostage. He is alone, with only one person who seems to be able to help him. Max's wife and Cyrus' mother, Shanin, is an Iranian who faces the changing and challenging times in her home country while launching her own covert operation and ultimately defending her husband in court to save his life.
                  "My mother has been fairly delighted with the response to the book, but truth be told doesn't really understand why everyone is making such a fuss about her," Cyrus wrote in an email.
                  The book is a fascinating look into Iran at the time of immense change. It has several great stories within the book, including Max's attempted escape from the country, the trial and Cyrus' decision to return there despite the danger. It is even more interesting now considering the U.S.'s recent diplomatic moves there.
                  And, for Oklahomans, it's one in which you'll ask: Can one of our own become a CIA agent? You'll find out in "Off the Radar."