For the Sun After Long Nights - by Fatemeh Jamalpour & Nilo Tabrizy (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A moving exploration of the 2022 women-led protests in Iran, as told through the interwoven stories of two Iranian journalists. In September 2022, a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Jãina Amini, died after being beaten by police officers who arrested her for not adhering to the Islamic Republic's dress code. Her death galvanized thousands of Iranians - mostly women - who took to the streets in protest in one of the largest uprisings in the country in decades: the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement. Despite the threat of imprisonment or death for her work as a journalist covering political unrest, state repression, and grassroots activism in Iran-which has led to multiple interrogation sessions and arrests-Fatemeh Jamalpour joined the throngs of people fighting to topple Iran's religious extremist regime. Across the globe, Nilo Tabrizy, who emigrated from Iran with her family and was raised in Canada, was covering the protests and state violence in Iran, knowing that spotlighting the women on the frontlines and the systemic injustice of the Iranian government meant she would not be able to safely return to Iran in the future. Though they had only met once in person, Nilo and Fatemeh corresponded constantly, often through encrypted platforms in order to protect Fatemeh's privacy and security. As the protests continued to unfold, the sense of sisterhood they shared led them to embark on an effort to document the spirit and legacy of the movement, and the history, geopolitics, and influences that led to this point. At once deeply personal and assiduously reported, For the Sun After Long Nights offers two perspectives on what it means, as a journalist, to cover the stories that are closest to one's heart-both from the frontlines and from afar"--

Book Synopsis

A moving exploration of the 2022 women-led protests in Iran, as told through the interwoven stories of two Iranian journalists

"Unlike anything I've read . . . A searing, courageous, and ultimately beautiful book filled with the spirit of the movement that it covers." --Ben Rhodes, author of The World as It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House

In September 2022, a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Jîna Amini, died after being beaten by police officers who arrested her for not adhering to the Islamic Republic's dress code. Her death galvanized thousands of Iranians--mostly women--who took to the streets in one of the country's largest uprisings in decades: the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.

Despite the threat of imprisonment or death for her work as a journalist covering political unrest, state repression, and grassroots activism in Iran--which has led to multiple interrogation sessions and arrests--Fatemeh Jamalpour joined the throngs of people fighting to topple Iran's religious extremist regime. And across the globe, Nilo Tabrizy, who emigrated from Iran with her family as a child, covered the protests and state violence, knowing that spotlighting the women on the front lines and the systemic injustice of the Iranian government meant she would not be able to safely return to Iran in the future.

Though they had met only once in person, Nilo and Fatemeh corresponded constantly, often through encrypted platforms to protect Fatemeh. As the protests continued to unfold, the sense of sisterhood they shared led them to embark on an effort to document the spirit and legacy of the movement, and the history, geopolitics, and influences that led to this point. At once deeply personal and assiduously reported, For the Sun After Long Nights offers two perspectives on what it means to cover the stories that are closest to one's heart--both in the forefront and from afar.

Review Quotes

"For the Sun After Long Nights is the kind of fiercely intelligent and unapologetically intimate masterpiece our Iranian canon has long needed--narrative nonfiction storytelling at its finest! . . . If you want to fully grasp Iran today, start here."
--Porochista Khakpour, author of Tehrangeles and Brown Album: Essays on Exile & Identity

"Jamalpour and Tabrizy have written an essential book about a people's fight against a brutal regime led with unimaginable courage by the women of Iran. It is a beautiful achievement--a tale replete with stunning acts of bravery by Iranian women, young and old, and suffused with poetry that is exquisitely, defiantly told."
--Julian Borger, Senior International Correspondent at The Guardian

"A powerful and moving chronicle of the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising. Going far beyond news headlines, this extraordinary cross-continental collaboration bears witness to the many brave Iranian women who have fought for rights and the sisterhood that Gen Z will carry forth. It is a book that could be written only by two true lion women."
--Marjan Kamali, bestselling author of The Lion Women of Tehran and The Stationery Shop

"A deeply insightful testament to the courage of protestors and journalists who stand firm in the face of oppression."
--Ali Velshi, host of Velshi and Chief Correspondent for MSNBC

"With their exceptional reporting and storytelling, Tabrizy and Jamalpour narrate a story that will move both those very familiar with the courageous Iranian women and students of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement and inspire those who come to this book knowing very little."
--Alyssa Mastromonaco, former Obama White House Deputy Chief of Staff and New York Times bestselling author

"We've been led to believe that Iran is a dour and unknowable land inhabited by religious fanatics. For the Sun After Long Nights shatters that farcical narrative once and for all. Anyone as intimate with Iran as Tabrizy and Jamalpour knows Iranian women to be the nation's most vital, misunderstood--and feared--natural resource, and this remarkable book proves it."
--Jason Rezaian, Director of Press Freedom Initiatives at The Washington Post

"For the Sun After Long Nights is unlike anything I've read. The alternating voices, unflinching eyes, and profound solidarity of Jamalpour and Tabrizy allow us to see the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in all its immediacy, power, and complexity. This is a searing, courageous, and ultimately beautiful book filled with the spirit of the movement that it covers."
--Ben Rhodes, author of The World as It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House and After the Fall

About the Author

NILO TABRIZY an investigative reporter at The Washington Post. She works for the Visual Forensics team, where she covers Iran using open-source methods. Previously, she was a video journalist at The New York Times, covering Iran, race and policing, abortion access, and more. She is an Emmy nominee and the 2022 winner of the Front Page Award for Online Investigative Reporting. Nilo received her M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University and her B.A. in Political Science and French from the University of British Columbia.
FATEMEH JAMALPOUR is a feminist freelance journalist banned from working in Iran by the Ministry of Intelligence. She has contributed to The Sunday Times, The Paris Review, and the Los Angeles Times and previously worked with BBC World News in London and Shargh newspaper in Tehran. Fatemeh was a 2024-25 Knight-Wallace Fellow at the University of Michigan.