This history is very easy to read, probably because Kinzer is a journalist. I can't say how it compares to scholarly texts on the subject, because I haven't read them, but it's probably less likely to put you to sleep.

This subject isn't one that was covered in my high school history classes -- the US didn't even admit to involvement in the coup until 2 years after I graduated from college. Most of what I knew about it before reading the book was gleaned from the news and some google searches (and wikipedia.)

Anyone who's looking for an overview of the first CIA-sponsored coup, which led the CIA to believe it was a good idea to do it again and again in other countries, should read this book. Kinzer doesn't touch much on the fallout of the coup, except in the last chapter and a half, but anyone who's aware politically (and following the situation in Iran since the election in June) should have a good sense of that.