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For the Sun After Long Nights: The Story of Iran's Women-Led Uprising
IN SEPTEMBER 2022, in response to the death of Mahsa Jîna Amini in police custody, after being arrested and beaten for not wearing her hijab properly, thousands of Iranians - mostly women - took to the streets in one of the country's largest uprisings in the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.
Despite the threat of imprisonment or death for her work as a journalist, Fatemeh Jamalpour joined the throngs of people fighting to topple Iran's religious extremist regime. Meanwhile, Nilo Tabrizy was covering the protests from New York, knowing that spotlighting the brutality of the Iranian government meant she would not be able to safely return to her birth country.
Though they had only met once, united by sisterhood and shared purpose, Nilo and Fatemeh corresponded constantly as they worked to shed light on what was happening on the ground. For the Sun After Long Nights is their extraordinary and deeply moving chronicle of the spirit and legacy of this historic movement, as well as the history, geopolitics and influences that led to this pivotal moment.
Despite the threat of imprisonment or death for her work as a journalist, Fatemeh Jamalpour joined the throngs of people fighting to topple Iran's religious extremist regime. Meanwhile, Nilo Tabrizy was covering the protests from New York, knowing that spotlighting the brutality of the Iranian government meant she would not be able to safely return to her birth country.
Though they had only met once, united by sisterhood and shared purpose, Nilo and Fatemeh corresponded constantly as they worked to shed light on what was happening on the ground. For the Sun After Long Nights is their extraordinary and deeply moving chronicle of the spirit and legacy of this historic movement, as well as the history, geopolitics and influences that led to this pivotal moment.
402 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews
January 7, 2026
This is a very powerful book. It describes the journey of two Iranian women journalists. One, Nilo Tabrizy, the co-author of the book is a virtual exile from her country; the other is Fatemeh Jamalpour who chose to remain behind in Iran. The story unwinds as both of these women respond to the death of a Kurdish woman named Masha Jina Amini who was arrested and beaten to death by Iranian morality police. Each woman describes her own life and how they reached their current situations as well as how they met. The story focuses on women protesters and their view of the situation in Iran. We see glimpses of how the people celebrated the fall of the Shah and then the much worse suffering and oppression under the clerics of the Islamic Republic police state.
Although I strongly support women's right to be treated as fairly as is not a topic that I spend a lot of time reading about. I read voraciously and happened upon this book at a bookstore in Massachusetts during the last week of the year. I am loathe to leave a bookstore without spending money and this one looked good. It turned out to be better than good. Even if you are lukewarm on the issue of women's rights this is a hell of a good book.
I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in women's rights or the oppressive theocracy that rules Iran. Well done Ms. Jalampour and Ms. Tabrizy.
Although I strongly support women's right to be treated as fairly as is not a topic that I spend a lot of time reading about. I read voraciously and happened upon this book at a bookstore in Massachusetts during the last week of the year. I am loathe to leave a bookstore without spending money and this one looked good. It turned out to be better than good. Even if you are lukewarm on the issue of women's rights this is a hell of a good book.
I strongly recommend this book for anyone interested in women's rights or the oppressive theocracy that rules Iran. Well done Ms. Jalampour and Ms. Tabrizy.
March 24, 2026
friends, we need to talk about how i keep choosing non-fiction reads that i genuinely have to sit with for awhile after i finish reading them.
this book is simple in its delivery yet so incredibly powerful. first, the authors' differing backgrounds and ways of story-telling blend so well. both of their voices come through distinctly, but also together, to create a cohesive and poignant narrative that gives us so much to digest. and then there is the sheer scope of everything covered in this book; the protests, the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, Iran's history, journalism, the diaspora, the daily lives of Iranian women, and cultural norms. and that's not even half of it. it's honestly such a wealth of information and it's all so important for the overall picture the authors are presenting. this is one of those books that i would add to my "educate yourself" list of recommendations because i came away from it feeling like i had genuinely been educated. i also came away from this book with an even deeper respect for the Iranian people, but especially the Iranian women. just their sheer bravery in the face of so much adversity and ways of life designed to keep them down. i think all the normal adjectives like "inspiring" and "powerful" fall short, and you should read this book for yourself to understand what i'm talking about.
given the timeline we are in right now, hearing from Iranian voices and educating ourselves is so incredibly important. but in general, this is just a fantastic read and i would highly encourage you to add it to your tbr.
this book is simple in its delivery yet so incredibly powerful. first, the authors' differing backgrounds and ways of story-telling blend so well. both of their voices come through distinctly, but also together, to create a cohesive and poignant narrative that gives us so much to digest. and then there is the sheer scope of everything covered in this book; the protests, the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, Iran's history, journalism, the diaspora, the daily lives of Iranian women, and cultural norms. and that's not even half of it. it's honestly such a wealth of information and it's all so important for the overall picture the authors are presenting. this is one of those books that i would add to my "educate yourself" list of recommendations because i came away from it feeling like i had genuinely been educated. i also came away from this book with an even deeper respect for the Iranian people, but especially the Iranian women. just their sheer bravery in the face of so much adversity and ways of life designed to keep them down. i think all the normal adjectives like "inspiring" and "powerful" fall short, and you should read this book for yourself to understand what i'm talking about.
given the timeline we are in right now, hearing from Iranian voices and educating ourselves is so incredibly important. but in general, this is just a fantastic read and i would highly encourage you to add it to your tbr.
September 15, 2025
Thank you to Pantheon Books and NetGalley for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
If you read only one new nonfiction release this year, let it be this one. A story about this has never been told in this way before, so poignantly, so powerfully.
FTSALN is billed as a collaborative account of the 2022 women-led uprisings through Iran against the repressive Islamic Republic, kicked off by the regime’s brutal murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Jîna Amini, accused of defying their hijab rule. Except it’s not only about this one event, but the course of the last 100 or so years, and across the Iranian diaspora, that have led to this moment.
The book is divided into four parts:
Part 1 documents the protests kicked off by Jîna’s murder in September 2022.
Part 2 zooms out and gives us an account of the corruption and US-backed coups that led to the establishment of the repressive Islamic Republic that is still in power today.
In Part 3, we find out more about Fatemah and Nilo’s lives: Fatemah’s extraordinary and brave journey of standing up for herself and the rights of the oppressed in her country, and Nilo’s struggles with being part of the diaspora, feeling both drawn to and disconnected from the two worlds she occupies.
Part 4 gives a closer look at some of the extraordinary fighters and martyrs who have put everything on the line to fight for human rights in Iran.
Americans, take note: everyone profiled in this book is jaw-droppingly brave. From young to old, across class divides and ethnic groups, these people risk their degrees, jobs, and lives to attend protests, uncover injustices, report on corruption, and more. They know that those in power have taken their diverse and beautiful country hostage via repressive policies and practices that benefit the few at the expense of the many, and they know that there is no greater fight than the fight to reclaim their beloved homeland.
For a while now, I have known of the beauty of Persian culture, but FOR THE SUN is filled with dazzlingly poetic quotes by famous writers; blazing lines from resistors; and sentences so rich; so rich, so poignant, that they made me gasp and stop in my tracks. Both Jamalpour and Tabrizy’s alternating chapters are compelling, but it is Jamalpour’s voice in particular that rings like a once-in-a-generation bell. This is a woman whose skill at journalism matches and magnifies her innate bravery and consistent morals.
If I have one quibble with FTSALN, it would be with its organization. I’m glad that Part 2 gives readers an important history lesson about the last 100 or so years in Iran, but I wonder if it would have been more effective had that information appeared earlier on. I’d hate for readers, particularly American ones, on either side of the divide, to come away from this still pitying Iranian woman and wanting to swoop in like Western saviors to deliver them from sharia law, or to not understand the U.S. government’s meddlesome involvement in creating the mess and corruption that is there now. That would be missing the point. These women don’t need saviors; they are their own saviors. They don’t need our pity; they need our admiration and our voice in support of theirs.
FOR THE SUN AFTER LONG NIGHTS is not only a necessary book, but it is also beautifully written. I hope we can all take from it the lesson that our fights against oppression and fascism are interconnected, and that we must be willing to sacrifice much, much more than we are comfortable with doing so right now if we want to have a hope of overthrowing oppressive power and building a better and safer world for all.
[ 7 Sept 2025 ]
Holy shit. My heart is in pieces, I’m crying buckets, and I’m a wreck. This will be one of the most important reads of this year.
Full review to come.
If you read only one new nonfiction release this year, let it be this one. A story about this has never been told in this way before, so poignantly, so powerfully.
FTSALN is billed as a collaborative account of the 2022 women-led uprisings through Iran against the repressive Islamic Republic, kicked off by the regime’s brutal murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Jîna Amini, accused of defying their hijab rule. Except it’s not only about this one event, but the course of the last 100 or so years, and across the Iranian diaspora, that have led to this moment.
The book is divided into four parts:
Part 1 documents the protests kicked off by Jîna’s murder in September 2022.
Part 2 zooms out and gives us an account of the corruption and US-backed coups that led to the establishment of the repressive Islamic Republic that is still in power today.
In Part 3, we find out more about Fatemah and Nilo’s lives: Fatemah’s extraordinary and brave journey of standing up for herself and the rights of the oppressed in her country, and Nilo’s struggles with being part of the diaspora, feeling both drawn to and disconnected from the two worlds she occupies.
Part 4 gives a closer look at some of the extraordinary fighters and martyrs who have put everything on the line to fight for human rights in Iran.
Americans, take note: everyone profiled in this book is jaw-droppingly brave. From young to old, across class divides and ethnic groups, these people risk their degrees, jobs, and lives to attend protests, uncover injustices, report on corruption, and more. They know that those in power have taken their diverse and beautiful country hostage via repressive policies and practices that benefit the few at the expense of the many, and they know that there is no greater fight than the fight to reclaim their beloved homeland.
For a while now, I have known of the beauty of Persian culture, but FOR THE SUN is filled with dazzlingly poetic quotes by famous writers; blazing lines from resistors; and sentences so rich; so rich, so poignant, that they made me gasp and stop in my tracks. Both Jamalpour and Tabrizy’s alternating chapters are compelling, but it is Jamalpour’s voice in particular that rings like a once-in-a-generation bell. This is a woman whose skill at journalism matches and magnifies her innate bravery and consistent morals.
If I have one quibble with FTSALN, it would be with its organization. I’m glad that Part 2 gives readers an important history lesson about the last 100 or so years in Iran, but I wonder if it would have been more effective had that information appeared earlier on. I’d hate for readers, particularly American ones, on either side of the divide, to come away from this still pitying Iranian woman and wanting to swoop in like Western saviors to deliver them from sharia law, or to not understand the U.S. government’s meddlesome involvement in creating the mess and corruption that is there now. That would be missing the point. These women don’t need saviors; they are their own saviors. They don’t need our pity; they need our admiration and our voice in support of theirs.
FOR THE SUN AFTER LONG NIGHTS is not only a necessary book, but it is also beautifully written. I hope we can all take from it the lesson that our fights against oppression and fascism are interconnected, and that we must be willing to sacrifice much, much more than we are comfortable with doing so right now if we want to have a hope of overthrowing oppressive power and building a better and safer world for all.
[ 7 Sept 2025 ]
Holy shit. My heart is in pieces, I’m crying buckets, and I’m a wreck. This will be one of the most important reads of this year.
Full review to come.
July 28, 2025
For the Sun After Long Nights is a book about the Women, Life, Freedom movement in Iran, told by Iranian American journalist Nilo Tabrizy and Iranian journalist Fatemeh Jamalpour. Both authors report from their own experiences covering Iran. While Nilo speaks about the grief of a country she can no longer return to and having to witness some of the atrocities from afar, Fatemeh speaks about going out to protests, being watched, interrogated, and being told she’s going to go to prison.
I struggle to think of how to review this book. I have a PhD researching North Korea and, lately, I’ve been intrigued by Iran because of some vague similarities (exile activism, sanctions, nuclearization, complicated international relations, limited social rights, rampant human rights abuses), with the big difference that Iran doesn’t necessarily block international travel. During my career, I’ve often seen the two countries compared, with the conclusion that North Korea is worse. And now, having finished this book, I wonder. Is it?
Not that I think the countries should be compared or that one should be crowned the less awful, but I don’t think I was ready for what I read. It took me a long time to finish because the chapters are packed with details about protests, littered with names of people executed, persecuted, disappeared, and shot by the Iranian regime. I googled them all. I tried to read more into the background of everything. And while I’m sure this book didn’t even scratch the surface, it does make me wonder how Iranians can carry this weight.
The book is divided into three sections: Women, Life, Freedom. Women covers the death of Mahsa Jina Amini and the protests that unfolded. Life explores the lives of Nilo and Fatemeh, both in their journalism, in how it impacted them, and in their friendship. Freedom is perhaps one of the most overwhelming sections, as it focuses on some of the many lives lost. My heart was very heavy throughout the book, which I think speaks volumes about its content, because the writing isn’t melodramatic, it just presents facts. Bits and pieces of protests, of interrogations. It was just so hard to read.
As usual, my review is going to be a bit all over the place. I’ll just ramble about what I loved.
- I adored how Baraye by Shervin Hajipour was added into the story and influenced each chapter’s title. I’ve also been listening to Shervin and Toomaj for a few weeks during my morning runs (and y’all need to listen to Toomaj’s new song and read the lyrics cuz, my dude your balls are bigger than Iran for putting this out when you're still there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPiq8...).
- I loved Nilo’s chapters. But Fatemeh had me in awe with her fierceness and courage. At one point, the book mentions how Fatemeh was told her voice was too loud. And I’m here thinking: the world needs more angry women. No woman should be afraid her father might kill her in an honor killing, like she briefly was. I wish I could read her articles in the newspaper Shargh, some of which sounded so interesting. I’m just in awe of her. All the book I worried about her, because she wrote as if she was in Iran and I was just HOW are you publishing this book? But this is addressed at the end so I'm no longer internally screaming.
- Linking this to my comment about music earlier: I’m a runner. Fatemeh includes a short chapter on women and sports in Iran. Swimming and bodybuilding are banned for women, and they cannot use the same facilities as men, which impacts the quality of training and also salaries. I just loved that this was a chapter. It made me think of the Iranian-Israeli movie Tatami about an Iranian judoka threatened by the Iranian government (highly recommended).
- The amount I learned from this book was overwhelming: from April 20, 2000, when Khamenei canceled all reforms and intensified repression tactics, to Bloody November, to how minorities are treated in Iran, to how Evin's bad but Qarchak is hell, to the history of hijab laws in Iran (i.e., maghnaeh at schools, the unveiling of 1936, kashf-e hijab). I liked to read about the paranoia and paralysis that comes from internalized authoritarianism, it reminded me of North Korea stuff.
- My eye twitched at the bit where they explain Khomeini called women 'human makers' oh and this brilliant sentence where a woman explains why women should wear hijabs: "Our religious husbands fall into sin when they see women without hijab."
- The authors didn’t let the people become just names on a page but they explained what happened to those who resisted the regime and its gender-based apartheid: Mahsa Jina Amini, Neda Agha Soltan, Nika Shakarami, Mohsen Shekari, Hadith Najafi, Khodanur Lojei, Javad Heydari, Niloufar Bayani, the twins Elaneh and Elnaz Mohammadi, and SO many more who faced repression or were killed. I especially loved that the book included good things to remember them by. Not Khodanur Lojei shackled and thirsty with a water bottle out of reach, but Khodanur dancing. Mohsen gaming and singing. Nika's last brave words to her auntie.
I'll finish with some quotes that I loved/gave me goosebumps (I'll edit them once the book is out since my copy is unedited):
Word by word, story by story, we have survived our oppressors by force, with narrative as our lifeline.
---
We, Iranian women, are not the Islamic Republic's enemy, we are its negation.
---
"It is better to know that the spots on the mother's body are not hereditary but the remnants of a great battle."
---
We, the women prisoners, stood in front of the door without flinching. (...) There was a moment in the corridor where there was nothing but the echoing of women shouting "Mohsen Shekari." (...) The prisoners on both sides of the door were shouting, "Death to the dictator," "Death to the Islamic Republic," "Woman, Life Freedom," and sang "Bella Ciao" without stopping.
---
For those of us in Iran who have lived through destruction, war, and turmoil, poetry and literature have always been our shelter. In some cultures, poetry is for the elite. Yet in Iran, it's for the masses. Nearly every Iranian, regardless of economic status or educational level, knows the great Persian poets. Even those who cannot read can recite, from memory, a favorite verse written by Hafez or Rumi. Poetry has seeped its way into our being; it's part of our very Iranianness. And it isn't only delicate or whimsical. It is now and has always been political.
I struggle to think of how to review this book. I have a PhD researching North Korea and, lately, I’ve been intrigued by Iran because of some vague similarities (exile activism, sanctions, nuclearization, complicated international relations, limited social rights, rampant human rights abuses), with the big difference that Iran doesn’t necessarily block international travel. During my career, I’ve often seen the two countries compared, with the conclusion that North Korea is worse. And now, having finished this book, I wonder. Is it?
Not that I think the countries should be compared or that one should be crowned the less awful, but I don’t think I was ready for what I read. It took me a long time to finish because the chapters are packed with details about protests, littered with names of people executed, persecuted, disappeared, and shot by the Iranian regime. I googled them all. I tried to read more into the background of everything. And while I’m sure this book didn’t even scratch the surface, it does make me wonder how Iranians can carry this weight.
The book is divided into three sections: Women, Life, Freedom. Women covers the death of Mahsa Jina Amini and the protests that unfolded. Life explores the lives of Nilo and Fatemeh, both in their journalism, in how it impacted them, and in their friendship. Freedom is perhaps one of the most overwhelming sections, as it focuses on some of the many lives lost. My heart was very heavy throughout the book, which I think speaks volumes about its content, because the writing isn’t melodramatic, it just presents facts. Bits and pieces of protests, of interrogations. It was just so hard to read.
As usual, my review is going to be a bit all over the place. I’ll just ramble about what I loved.
- I adored how Baraye by Shervin Hajipour was added into the story and influenced each chapter’s title. I’ve also been listening to Shervin and Toomaj for a few weeks during my morning runs (and y’all need to listen to Toomaj’s new song and read the lyrics cuz, my dude your balls are bigger than Iran for putting this out when you're still there: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPiq8...).
- I loved Nilo’s chapters. But Fatemeh had me in awe with her fierceness and courage. At one point, the book mentions how Fatemeh was told her voice was too loud. And I’m here thinking: the world needs more angry women. No woman should be afraid her father might kill her in an honor killing, like she briefly was. I wish I could read her articles in the newspaper Shargh, some of which sounded so interesting. I’m just in awe of her. All the book I worried about her, because she wrote as if she was in Iran and I was just HOW are you publishing this book? But this is addressed at the end so I'm no longer internally screaming.
- Linking this to my comment about music earlier: I’m a runner. Fatemeh includes a short chapter on women and sports in Iran. Swimming and bodybuilding are banned for women, and they cannot use the same facilities as men, which impacts the quality of training and also salaries. I just loved that this was a chapter. It made me think of the Iranian-Israeli movie Tatami about an Iranian judoka threatened by the Iranian government (highly recommended).
- The amount I learned from this book was overwhelming: from April 20, 2000, when Khamenei canceled all reforms and intensified repression tactics, to Bloody November, to how minorities are treated in Iran, to how Evin's bad but Qarchak is hell, to the history of hijab laws in Iran (i.e., maghnaeh at schools, the unveiling of 1936, kashf-e hijab). I liked to read about the paranoia and paralysis that comes from internalized authoritarianism, it reminded me of North Korea stuff.
- My eye twitched at the bit where they explain Khomeini called women 'human makers' oh and this brilliant sentence where a woman explains why women should wear hijabs: "Our religious husbands fall into sin when they see women without hijab."
- The authors didn’t let the people become just names on a page but they explained what happened to those who resisted the regime and its gender-based apartheid: Mahsa Jina Amini, Neda Agha Soltan, Nika Shakarami, Mohsen Shekari, Hadith Najafi, Khodanur Lojei, Javad Heydari, Niloufar Bayani, the twins Elaneh and Elnaz Mohammadi, and SO many more who faced repression or were killed. I especially loved that the book included good things to remember them by. Not Khodanur Lojei shackled and thirsty with a water bottle out of reach, but Khodanur dancing. Mohsen gaming and singing. Nika's last brave words to her auntie.
I'll finish with some quotes that I loved/gave me goosebumps (I'll edit them once the book is out since my copy is unedited):
Word by word, story by story, we have survived our oppressors by force, with narrative as our lifeline.
---
We, Iranian women, are not the Islamic Republic's enemy, we are its negation.
---
"It is better to know that the spots on the mother's body are not hereditary but the remnants of a great battle."
---
We, the women prisoners, stood in front of the door without flinching. (...) There was a moment in the corridor where there was nothing but the echoing of women shouting "Mohsen Shekari." (...) The prisoners on both sides of the door were shouting, "Death to the dictator," "Death to the Islamic Republic," "Woman, Life Freedom," and sang "Bella Ciao" without stopping.
---
For those of us in Iran who have lived through destruction, war, and turmoil, poetry and literature have always been our shelter. In some cultures, poetry is for the elite. Yet in Iran, it's for the masses. Nearly every Iranian, regardless of economic status or educational level, knows the great Persian poets. Even those who cannot read can recite, from memory, a favorite verse written by Hafez or Rumi. Poetry has seeped its way into our being; it's part of our very Iranianness. And it isn't only delicate or whimsical. It is now and has always been political.
October 10, 2025
a broader scope than i expected - it’s as much about the practice of journalism; the experience of exile & the diaspora; the political & economic history of iran; life under the current regime, especially as it is experienced by women and religious & ethnic minorities; cultural norms & language; etc. as it is about the woman life freedom protests in 2022 in particular. but it thoroughly convinced me that such a wide lens (and the incorporation of the authors’ own stories and perspectives) is absolutely necessary to understand and appreciate that movement. what an incredible feat it is to have made this book. impossible to read without a deep respect for all the authors have sacrificed for this writing - and all their people have sacrificed for this work. humbling & devastating & hopeful
March 12, 2026
"For years, the Islamic Republic has worked to isolate Iran, erecting invisible walls to sever connections between those inside and outside the country. Through this book, Nilo and I, two Iranian journalists on opposite sides of this wall, built a bridge. The higher the regime raises its walls, the bolder we become in leaping over them—until the day they finally collapse."
One of the best books I’ve read so far. It’s not only historically impactful, but you can feel that it was written with both rage toward the Islamic Republic and deep love for Iran and its resilient people. A must-read, especially given the current political climate.
"Hand in hand, we become the sea.
We become a storm.
Hand in hand, firm fists, we shout freedom.
Oh, oh, Woman, Life, Freedom."
One of the best books I’ve read so far. It’s not only historically impactful, but you can feel that it was written with both rage toward the Islamic Republic and deep love for Iran and its resilient people. A must-read, especially given the current political climate.
"Hand in hand, we become the sea.
We become a storm.
Hand in hand, firm fists, we shout freedom.
Oh, oh, Woman, Life, Freedom."
March 16, 2026
I read this book for one of the most inane and trivial reasons - to tick off a Goodreads challenge.
What I ended up doing was embedding myself in Iranian anti-authoritarianism and regime history the exact same week that the United States and Israel attacked Iran in 2026.
A superficial reading would suggest that the recent assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khameni, was a good thing for the Iranian people, but this is clearly false. The Iranian people have been fighting for their freedoms and decency for generations and now the cruelty and devastation of American and Israeli imperialism has wrought itself on these same people.
I often find my mind wandering to the names in this book and thinking about what they're experiencing in Tehran right now. I wonder what Nilo and Fatameh make of recent developments. It's hard not to imagine despair.
This book is often devastating. The strength of this text draws it's strength from the Iranian people's capacity to resist theocratic dictatorship despite tragedy upon tragedy and almost certain violence.
The tireless work and dedication of these two journalists is very admirable, and their experiences, especially Fatemeh's, are astounding displays of bravery.
I feel like a 5 star review almost feels mandatory but I must admit that this book's structure does let the reading experience down. There are constant jumps around in time and incessant name-drops of new friends and victims and witnesses and places and tribes that it's easy to become disorientated and listless. There's not much of a narrative anchor to hold on to except a wave of protests that begun in September 2022, so while I was never lost, the expereince certainly felt rudderless.
There is a brief moment when they point out that the West has different beliefs of what Journalists should achieve based on Western storytelling conventions and aspirations of objectivity. I'll admit that this book is heavily poetic and personal, so it's probably silly of me to expect familiar narrative beats to organize the bleakness of state repression.
Still, this book has catapulted my sympathies for the Iranian people and is hugely informative for cultural and historical nuances that are entirely absent in current reporting of the US/Israeli-Iranian war.
4.25/5
What I ended up doing was embedding myself in Iranian anti-authoritarianism and regime history the exact same week that the United States and Israel attacked Iran in 2026.
A superficial reading would suggest that the recent assassination of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khameni, was a good thing for the Iranian people, but this is clearly false. The Iranian people have been fighting for their freedoms and decency for generations and now the cruelty and devastation of American and Israeli imperialism has wrought itself on these same people.
I often find my mind wandering to the names in this book and thinking about what they're experiencing in Tehran right now. I wonder what Nilo and Fatameh make of recent developments. It's hard not to imagine despair.
This book is often devastating. The strength of this text draws it's strength from the Iranian people's capacity to resist theocratic dictatorship despite tragedy upon tragedy and almost certain violence.
The tireless work and dedication of these two journalists is very admirable, and their experiences, especially Fatemeh's, are astounding displays of bravery.
I feel like a 5 star review almost feels mandatory but I must admit that this book's structure does let the reading experience down. There are constant jumps around in time and incessant name-drops of new friends and victims and witnesses and places and tribes that it's easy to become disorientated and listless. There's not much of a narrative anchor to hold on to except a wave of protests that begun in September 2022, so while I was never lost, the expereince certainly felt rudderless.
There is a brief moment when they point out that the West has different beliefs of what Journalists should achieve based on Western storytelling conventions and aspirations of objectivity. I'll admit that this book is heavily poetic and personal, so it's probably silly of me to expect familiar narrative beats to organize the bleakness of state repression.
Still, this book has catapulted my sympathies for the Iranian people and is hugely informative for cultural and historical nuances that are entirely absent in current reporting of the US/Israeli-Iranian war.
4.25/5
May 16, 2026
This was selected for my NFBC BOTM. If you're not familiar, this group reads two nonfiction books at a time, over a period of two months, with new selections occurring every month. One of the March/April books was King of Kings: The Iranian Revolution—A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation, and one of the April/May books was this one, For the Sun After Long Nights: The Story of Iran's Women-Led Uprising.
I don't think that Trump's decision to start a war in Iran was taken into account for these nominations and selections, but it's not NOT relevant given current events.
Together, these two books cover a wide breadth of modern Iranian sociopolitical history. Together, these tell a story about how a Shah could misuse his power and authority to usher in a revolution that would use a different type of power and authority, and how that is currently sparking yet another type of revolution.
The Shah was a modernist. The Ayatollah, a religious fundamentalist. Both refused to let the Iranian people choose their lives on their own terms. Particularly women.
This book looks mainly at the recent uprisings and protests stemming from the September 2022 killing of Mahsa Jîna Amini (Jîna) for a dress code violation. She failed to wear the mandated head-covering dictated by the Islamic Republic authorities. For this, she was beaten and killed. Her family was harassed and "encouraged" not to speak out about her death, they have since been threatened not to honor the anniversary of her death.
There have been countless others, men and women inspired by Jîna, who have begun speaking out, engaged in protests, civil disobedience, graffiti, unsanctioned writings and news, and have been threatened, beaten, imprisoned, interrogated, silenced, brutalized, tortured, and killed as a result. The regime fears these uprisings, and that is why they try so hard to break them.
I appreciated the two authors of this book, Fatemeh Jamalpour and Nilo Tabrizy. Jamalpour is a journalist living in Iran and writing about and participating in the uprisings directly. Her perspective is heartbreaking and urgent. Nilo (pronounced "nee-loo"), is Iranian-Canadian, and is a journalist writing about Iranian issues from Canada. She and Fatemeh worked together from afar on their work for this book. (Eventually Fatemeh had to escape Iran, but not until after she'd had her fair share of run ins with the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and had been imprisoned as well.) Together, they combine to give horrific insights into the ways that life in Iran has been shaped, limited, and controlled, and in so doing, show the loss of the beauty of the culture and vibrancy they once had.
This was not an easy read. It is a hard subject matter, and it's filled with details of some utterly horrific abuses of humanity, grief, loss, and pain. But it is nonetheless hopeful and inspiring, and optimistic.
I both listened to this on audio and read the ebook. I initially had only planned on listening to the audiobook, but Fatemeh Jamalpour's accent was very thick, and it was hard at times to follow her while listening. Honestly, it was still difficult at times even while reading along. This was mainly due, though, to the fact that the words she spoke did not entirely match the text I was reading. She (and to a lesser degree, Nilo Tabrizy) would rearrange sentences, or leave out words entirely. There was a whole paragraph that seemed to be missing from the audio version that was in the book:
There were other errors as well. On at least two occasions, I thought that the dating was incorrect - but when I went back to check, I could only confirm one: Kian Pir Falak (a nine-year old boy) was killed on November 16, 2022 when "plainclothes security forces started shooting a barrage of bullets into their car from four directions" (pg 195). Several pages later: "On April 6, 2022, Mah Monir published a photo of Kian's grave showing how security officers had written slogans supporting Khamenei on his grave in red. Mah Monir wrote, "My innocent child, they are scared of your name, they are even scared of your tombstone." (pg 197). Obviously this reference to his grave is likely supposed to be April of 2023, not 2022, but it goes to the larger point that there are errors in the text that made it through editing.
Still, it's a worthwhile, necessary, read, and one I highly recommend.
I don't think that Trump's decision to start a war in Iran was taken into account for these nominations and selections, but it's not NOT relevant given current events.
Together, these two books cover a wide breadth of modern Iranian sociopolitical history. Together, these tell a story about how a Shah could misuse his power and authority to usher in a revolution that would use a different type of power and authority, and how that is currently sparking yet another type of revolution.
The Shah was a modernist. The Ayatollah, a religious fundamentalist. Both refused to let the Iranian people choose their lives on their own terms. Particularly women.
This book looks mainly at the recent uprisings and protests stemming from the September 2022 killing of Mahsa Jîna Amini (Jîna) for a dress code violation. She failed to wear the mandated head-covering dictated by the Islamic Republic authorities. For this, she was beaten and killed. Her family was harassed and "encouraged" not to speak out about her death, they have since been threatened not to honor the anniversary of her death.
There have been countless others, men and women inspired by Jîna, who have begun speaking out, engaged in protests, civil disobedience, graffiti, unsanctioned writings and news, and have been threatened, beaten, imprisoned, interrogated, silenced, brutalized, tortured, and killed as a result. The regime fears these uprisings, and that is why they try so hard to break them.
"The regime had become fearful of the subway, streets, highways, people, cars, and windows. It was afraid of senior citizens, students, teachers, workers, women, and men. It was afraid of the country it had maintained control over by deadly force."(pg 20)But the harder they push, the more it entrenches the need for these protests. The SPIRIT of them.
"You can execute a revolutionary but not a revolution." (pg 215 - Credit to a protestor who wrote this on a wall in Tehran)
"Nobody warned you that the women whose feet you cut from running would give birth to daughters with wings." (pg 110 - Credit to Ijeoma Umebinyuo)These women, all of them, are so incredibly brave and awe inspiring to me that I have few words. I don't pretend to claim that I can even comprehend the systems of oppression they navigate every single day. I am a white woman living in the United States. I stand with them in solidarity, though I can never truly understand, even though we are seeing our own brand of religious fundamentalism and extremism on the rise here as well. To that end, this passage from struck me:
"It is a lesson that the United States and the West have not yet learned, but we, the Iranian people, have paid dearly to understand -- never trust the Ayatollah, clerics, and Islamists. They believe that they are in a higher position than us because they are closer to Allah. Islamists can reject any justice, deals, agreements, contracts, or relations due to their understanding of God's will." (pg 95)(My emphasis.)
I appreciated the two authors of this book, Fatemeh Jamalpour and Nilo Tabrizy. Jamalpour is a journalist living in Iran and writing about and participating in the uprisings directly. Her perspective is heartbreaking and urgent. Nilo (pronounced "nee-loo"), is Iranian-Canadian, and is a journalist writing about Iranian issues from Canada. She and Fatemeh worked together from afar on their work for this book. (Eventually Fatemeh had to escape Iran, but not until after she'd had her fair share of run ins with the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) and had been imprisoned as well.) Together, they combine to give horrific insights into the ways that life in Iran has been shaped, limited, and controlled, and in so doing, show the loss of the beauty of the culture and vibrancy they once had.
This was not an easy read. It is a hard subject matter, and it's filled with details of some utterly horrific abuses of humanity, grief, loss, and pain. But it is nonetheless hopeful and inspiring, and optimistic.
"A person who fights knows that revolutions will take a long time, but she does not fail. Standing for freedom is more beautiful than freedom itself. The person who fights is yesterday's child. She knows that if she doesn't taste freedom, today's children will. A person who fights knows that revolutions will last, but she will not fail." (pg XV)
I both listened to this on audio and read the ebook. I initially had only planned on listening to the audiobook, but Fatemeh Jamalpour's accent was very thick, and it was hard at times to follow her while listening. Honestly, it was still difficult at times even while reading along. This was mainly due, though, to the fact that the words she spoke did not entirely match the text I was reading. She (and to a lesser degree, Nilo Tabrizy) would rearrange sentences, or leave out words entirely. There was a whole paragraph that seemed to be missing from the audio version that was in the book:
"In September 2006, Reza Alipour, the head of the Tehran police, said that in one month 63,693 women with improper hijab were summoned and 1,149 cars seized. In 2007, the head of the country's airport police announced that they had prevented 128 women from traveling and issued 171,151 women warnings due to an improper hijab; 6,799 women had to produce a written commitment to not repeat this crime. I do not know if I counted as one of them." (pg 138)Maybe I simply missed it - but as I was immersive reading this, I don't think so.
There were other errors as well. On at least two occasions, I thought that the dating was incorrect - but when I went back to check, I could only confirm one: Kian Pir Falak (a nine-year old boy) was killed on November 16, 2022 when "plainclothes security forces started shooting a barrage of bullets into their car from four directions" (pg 195). Several pages later: "On April 6, 2022, Mah Monir published a photo of Kian's grave showing how security officers had written slogans supporting Khamenei on his grave in red. Mah Monir wrote, "My innocent child, they are scared of your name, they are even scared of your tombstone." (pg 197). Obviously this reference to his grave is likely supposed to be April of 2023, not 2022, but it goes to the larger point that there are errors in the text that made it through editing.
Still, it's a worthwhile, necessary, read, and one I highly recommend.
April 22, 2026
Two female journalists write jointly about the fight against oppression in Iran. Fatemeh, who spent most of her life there, then banned from work and going into self exile.
Nilo, born in Iran then migrated to Canada as a young child. What is remarkable is that despite meeting only once in person in the cafeteria at The New York Times in 2017, they have a sisterly bond between them.
On September 16, 2022, a twenty-two-year-old Kurdish woman named Mahsa Jîna Amini was killed in Tehran by the city’s morality police. She was viciously beaten after having been detained by an officer who accused her of not dressing appropriately in public, in defiance of the country’s hijab rule, which broadly governs what women should wear.
This is the basis of the book and the begining of protests, which subsequently evolve into the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement.
Hand in hand, we become the sea. We become a storm. Hand in hand, firm fists, we shout freedom. Oh, oh, Woman, Life, Freedom.
The book exposes the injustice, denigration, persecution, atrocities and brutality under the regime. A few days later, on September 20, 2022, sixteen-year-old Nika Shakarami is physically and sexually assaulted by goverment agents before being killed. These are just two in a long list of activists as well as innocents, who suffered or died at the hands of the authorities.
There were symbols of rebellion, the most prominent was not wearing a hijab in public. The front cover illustration probably features Fatemeh Heydari, the sister of the slain protester Javad Heydari, who cut her hair over her brother’s casket.
Cutting hair is uniquely associated with this cycle of the protests, and it’s a very powerful gesture from Iranian women.
The various accounts reveal how disenfranchised and how disaffected the Iranian people were.
While the message was important, the book was a bit draggy as the repeated cycles of protests and clashes were reported in a numbingly monotonous way. The personal sharings, especially by Fatemeh were more fascinating and engaging. Like of Nilo's grandmother who delivered her youngest child by herself, Fatemeh's grandmothers who stood at six foot two and five foot nine respectively or Fatemeh's grandfathers who were brothers that bought teenage wives.
There were interesting insights into Iranian culture, like how poetry and songs are so much a part of their lives. How they are not so outspoken. Shocking practices like honour killings (Fatemeh's father wanted to kill her for being seen getting into a car with men)
In some cultures, poetry is for the elite. Yet in Iran, it’s for the masses.
“Another Birth” by Forough Farrokhzad
"The life poem" by Hushang Ebtehaj
Iranians aren’t known for being forthright with information. We’re indirect communicators by nature, always speaking in parables.
Iran is a very multiethnic country with Azeri, Kurd, Baluch, Lur, Bakhtiari, Arab. There are also Iranian Diaspora around the world.
And was this prescient or inevitable?
Did they die thinking that the war we’ve all long feared between Iran and the United States was under way?
Overall, worth a read.
Nilo, born in Iran then migrated to Canada as a young child. What is remarkable is that despite meeting only once in person in the cafeteria at The New York Times in 2017, they have a sisterly bond between them.
On September 16, 2022, a twenty-two-year-old Kurdish woman named Mahsa Jîna Amini was killed in Tehran by the city’s morality police. She was viciously beaten after having been detained by an officer who accused her of not dressing appropriately in public, in defiance of the country’s hijab rule, which broadly governs what women should wear.
This is the basis of the book and the begining of protests, which subsequently evolve into the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement.
Hand in hand, we become the sea. We become a storm. Hand in hand, firm fists, we shout freedom. Oh, oh, Woman, Life, Freedom.
The book exposes the injustice, denigration, persecution, atrocities and brutality under the regime. A few days later, on September 20, 2022, sixteen-year-old Nika Shakarami is physically and sexually assaulted by goverment agents before being killed. These are just two in a long list of activists as well as innocents, who suffered or died at the hands of the authorities.
There were symbols of rebellion, the most prominent was not wearing a hijab in public. The front cover illustration probably features Fatemeh Heydari, the sister of the slain protester Javad Heydari, who cut her hair over her brother’s casket.
Cutting hair is uniquely associated with this cycle of the protests, and it’s a very powerful gesture from Iranian women.
The various accounts reveal how disenfranchised and how disaffected the Iranian people were.
While the message was important, the book was a bit draggy as the repeated cycles of protests and clashes were reported in a numbingly monotonous way. The personal sharings, especially by Fatemeh were more fascinating and engaging. Like of Nilo's grandmother who delivered her youngest child by herself, Fatemeh's grandmothers who stood at six foot two and five foot nine respectively or Fatemeh's grandfathers who were brothers that bought teenage wives.
There were interesting insights into Iranian culture, like how poetry and songs are so much a part of their lives. How they are not so outspoken. Shocking practices like honour killings (Fatemeh's father wanted to kill her for being seen getting into a car with men)
In some cultures, poetry is for the elite. Yet in Iran, it’s for the masses.
“Another Birth” by Forough Farrokhzad
"The life poem" by Hushang Ebtehaj
Iranians aren’t known for being forthright with information. We’re indirect communicators by nature, always speaking in parables.
Iran is a very multiethnic country with Azeri, Kurd, Baluch, Lur, Bakhtiari, Arab. There are also Iranian Diaspora around the world.
And was this prescient or inevitable?
Did they die thinking that the war we’ve all long feared between Iran and the United States was under way?
Overall, worth a read.
Read
February 1, 2026One of these authors was exiled from their home, Iran, for writing this book. You should read it.
Read
May 17, 2026This account of the wide-spread protests for women’s rights in Iran in 2022 was more personal than I expected. The co-authors share their own experiences, one growing up in the Iranian diaspora and trying to cover these events from afar, the other growing up in Iran under oppressive conditions and working as an activist journalist in the heart of the resistance. We learn what journalists do to ensure accuracy if they can’t be on the ground. We hear of individual protesters shot in the streets or arrested, tortured and sometimes executed.
April 4, 2026
Das Buch zeigt die so beeindruckende Arbeit von Journalistinnen und Aktivistinnen im Iran und mit welcher Gefahr ihr Eisatz für ihre eigene Sicherheit verbunden ist. Es war teilweise aufgrund der Schwere des Themas sehr hart zu lesen.
February 9, 2026
how about i get even *more* political:)
October 25, 2025
wowwww this book exceeded my expectations in so many ways! I was intrigued by the actual subtitle and premise, but the story contained within these pages does so much more than its pitch.
the story this tells about journalism and culture and friendship is so wonderful. The very form and style of the narrative supports its message. super interesting take on a traditional nonfiction/history, and I really think this would be such great required reading for a journalism class.
the story this tells about journalism and culture and friendship is so wonderful. The very form and style of the narrative supports its message. super interesting take on a traditional nonfiction/history, and I really think this would be such great required reading for a journalism class.
March 16, 2026
This book provides a remarkable portrayal of the life in the Islamic Republic Iran. The authors argue in very compelling fashion that the dominant characteristic of this regime is the oppression of women. The stories that they present in suppor"For the Sun after Long Nights" provides a remarkable analysis of life in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Fatemeh Jamalpour and Nilo Tabrizy, argue in very compelling fashion that the dominant characteristic of this regime is the oppression of women. Unlike many other authors, Jamalpour and Tabrizy display no interest in the doctrine of Velâyat-e Faqih (i.e. the need to impose a theocratic state under a Shiite cleric such as Khomeini or Khameini) and the necessity of exporting of exporting this Shiite theocracy to other Muslim countries.
Although Jamalpour and Tabrizy may indeed ignore certain aspects of Islamic Iran, there is certainly a great deal of truth in their thesis. Three days ago (on Saturday, March 14, 2026) I attended the "Al-Quds" demonstration in Toronto organized by a group opposed to the war currently being raged by Israel and the USA on Iran. On one side of the street there was an entirely male group of protestors waving flags of the Islamic Republic of Iran. On the other side, the counter-protestors that included roughly equal numbers of men and women waving flags of the Shahof Iran.
Jamalpour and Tabrizy present many extremely compelling stories that describe horrific incidents of violence against women in Iran. Their book certainly merits a wide audience.
The two authors have different perspectives on their subject. Born in Iran, Nilo Trabrizy emigrated at the age of 4 with her family to Canada where she lived until she completed her undergraduate studies. She then did a Master's degree in journalism at Columbia university in New York city where she subsequently worked. Notably at the New York Times she was engaged in OSINT (Open Source Intelligence); that is to say she verified the authenticity of videos taken by cellphones showing violent attacks on women.
Fatemeh Jamalpour was born in Iran where she lived except for two brief periods when she was a student in the USA. Jamalpour's stories were based on her observations at protests in Iran and personal interviewees with Iranian women who had been victims of violence. Jamalpour met her collaborator Tabrizy in New York during one of her brief stays in the United States.
"For the Sun after Long Nights" is worth reading both for its portrait of violence against women inside the Islamic Republic of Iran and for its description of journalism as it is practiced in the second quarter of the 21st century.
t of their thesis are extremely compelling.
Although Jamalpour and Tabrizy may indeed ignore certain aspects of Islamic Iran, there is certainly a great deal of truth in their thesis. Three days ago (on Saturday, March 14, 2026) I attended the "Al-Quds" demonstration in Toronto organized by a group opposed to the war currently being raged by Israel and the USA on Iran. On one side of the street there was an entirely male group of protestors waving flags of the Islamic Republic of Iran. On the other side, the counter-protestors that included roughly equal numbers of men and women waving flags of the Shahof Iran.
Jamalpour and Tabrizy present many extremely compelling stories that describe horrific incidents of violence against women in Iran. Their book certainly merits a wide audience.
The two authors have different perspectives on their subject. Born in Iran, Nilo Trabrizy emigrated at the age of 4 with her family to Canada where she lived until she completed her undergraduate studies. She then did a Master's degree in journalism at Columbia university in New York city where she subsequently worked. Notably at the New York Times she was engaged in OSINT (Open Source Intelligence); that is to say she verified the authenticity of videos taken by cellphones showing violent attacks on women.
Fatemeh Jamalpour was born in Iran where she lived except for two brief periods when she was a student in the USA. Jamalpour's stories were based on her observations at protests in Iran and personal interviewees with Iranian women who had been victims of violence. Jamalpour met her collaborator Tabrizy in New York during one of her brief stays in the United States.
"For the Sun after Long Nights" is worth reading both for its portrait of violence against women inside the Islamic Republic of Iran and for its description of journalism as it is practiced in the second quarter of the 21st century.
t of their thesis are extremely compelling.
March 21, 2026
Incredibly important book written by two incredibly brave and strong women but rather hard to read (not only because of the topic in general but also because the context of certain events or stories was not always clear to me).
A timeline of both Iran's history in general and of the different uprisings (this one in particular) would've greatly helped in contextualizing - seeing both a certain event and the bigger picture. I would've liked to see some pictures included too - of images imported to the uprisings, the different minorities' ways to wear their hair, in general the ways to wear the hijab described, a map of both Iran and Tehran, a map of where the different ethnicities live and where languages are spoken ... and a glossary (and perhaps even family trees 😅).
Maybe the intended target audience knows a lot more about Iran than I do. I expected at least some of the book to be an overall introduction into history and cultures rather than to focus on recent events (not in chronological order), sprinkling in some information.
Subheadings or short summaries at the beginning of each chapter would've made my reading experience easier since so many people's stories are covered and told in achronological order.
A very interesting and educational read but maybe keep a notebook and the Wikipedia article on Iran at hand.
A timeline of both Iran's history in general and of the different uprisings (this one in particular) would've greatly helped in contextualizing - seeing both a certain event and the bigger picture. I would've liked to see some pictures included too - of images imported to the uprisings, the different minorities' ways to wear their hair, in general the ways to wear the hijab described, a map of both Iran and Tehran, a map of where the different ethnicities live and where languages are spoken ... and a glossary (and perhaps even family trees 😅).
Maybe the intended target audience knows a lot more about Iran than I do. I expected at least some of the book to be an overall introduction into history and cultures rather than to focus on recent events (not in chronological order), sprinkling in some information.
Subheadings or short summaries at the beginning of each chapter would've made my reading experience easier since so many people's stories are covered and told in achronological order.
A very interesting and educational read but maybe keep a notebook and the Wikipedia article on Iran at hand.
March 17, 2026
entirely phenomenal. highly recommend the audiobook read by the authors! in awe of all those iranians sacrificing much for a better future for their neighbors. wonderful blend of modern journalistic reporting, political history, personal stories, and reflections on the movement. definitely will be in my top 10 for this year!!
April 13, 2026
I finished this yesterday, it was a really impactful read for me. The switching between both perspectives of the rebellion was really wonderful. Seeing the Iranian boots on the ground perspective from Fatemeh and her journalism and activism, contrasted with our Western Iranian journalist with Nilo's chapters really helped bring the read full circle.
This book felt like such a timely one considering the current state of political affairs and helped to remind me that freedom is so precious and so easily confiscated and weaponized by men in power against women time and time again.
This book felt like such a timely one considering the current state of political affairs and helped to remind me that freedom is so precious and so easily confiscated and weaponized by men in power against women time and time again.
August 11, 2025
We get an amazing primary source retelling of the recent women's uprising in Iran, both from women who actually participated and escaped execution, and by a journalist who focused on their story as it unfolded. Highly recommended read.
May 25, 2026
This is, above all, an act of witness. Firstly, it documents the wide variety of persecutions endured by Iranian women. The physical persecution of beatings, arrests, and executions, of course. But also the widespread cultural and mental persecution of forced veiling, arbitrary scrutiny, public humiliation—the kinds of things that, with the threat of brute physical force looming behind them, force women to choose between constant small-scale submission and drastic, life-threatening resistance. The book does an amazing job of making those moments real, tangible—not abstract concepts, but something felt in the body, in choices and responses to clothing, to gazing and stares, to checkpoints and personal inspections. Fatemeh Jamalpour, in particular, documents the way that autonomy is constantly eroded in every public space.
Then too, this book presents the struggles of Iranian women beyond the borders of the nation itself—Nilo Tabrizy’s sections of the book are largely devoted to the exile/diaspora experience, which I personally found quite revelatory. Narratives of uprisings and protests, naturally, often center the experience of those directly confronting the oppressive power. If compatriots outside the area are considered at all, it is often to regard them as escapees, who have managed to find release and, hopefully, freedom. Which is present to some degree in Nilo’s own story, but she also documents the extent to which life in the diaspora is suffused with feelings of dislocation, guilt, distance from family, loss of language and culture, and a strangely detached sense of what’s happening in the land that you still want to call home. One of the most powerful tensions in the book is her own struggle with the question of returning—knowing that she cannot, and wanting so badly to do so anyway.
The alternating structure of the book—back and forth between Jamalpour and Tabrizy—works well to give a sense of the interconnection between these two lived experiences. Initially they seem to have distinct, identifiable roles: Jamalpour as the voice of direct, lived experience inside Iran; Tabrizy as the journalist in exile, supplying distance, history, and context. Fortunately, that paradigm dissipates; at various points, each of the two details the day-to-day of their own experience, and each provides broader context for the events and examples they provide. Each has a personal stake in the history, and each has a reporter’s instinct for gathering and presenting evidence. Their perspectives overlap and intertwine in ways that are not always obvious, but that provide a textured rendering of oppression.
I did occasionally find myself wishing for a more coherent narrative, especially of the movement within Iran. The stories of individual actors and victims were presented pretty fully, and it’s clear that they all tie together under the banner of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. But it feels very disjointed. I will note that I listened to this on audio; had I been physically reading, I might have taken more moments to look up photos, etc.—the sorts of things that might have given me more context to hold things together. Then too, the story of such an uprising is bound to be disjointed, and probably I’m wishing for something that wouldn’t actually have been an improvement (at least as far as veracity).
Finally, I should say also that I appreciated these authors’ viewpoints on the West, and especially on Western media. Obviously the governments of Britain and the U.S. are implicated in the recent history of oppression and struggle in Iran, and it’s clear to even a casual observer that much of their guilt arises from an utter disregard for Iranian citizens as people. But before reading this book, I hadn’t appreciated the Western media’s disrespect for those same people—even to the point of minimizing or ignoring the awareness and insight of Iranian women in their employ (Tabrizy and Jamalpour, for example), who could do such spectacular work on the subject if their respective news agencies would give them the consideration and support they deserve. One expects Western populations to be obtuse in these matters; one might even expect the same of Western governments. But such a failure on the part of Western media is harder to understand or forgive.
It’s a challenging read—a bit unpolished, and full of grief transitioning to rage. But I didn’t find it overpowering so much as awe-inspiring. The persistence—endurance—of these two, and of Iranian women at large, is truly stunning, and I appreciate having borne some witness to it.
Then too, this book presents the struggles of Iranian women beyond the borders of the nation itself—Nilo Tabrizy’s sections of the book are largely devoted to the exile/diaspora experience, which I personally found quite revelatory. Narratives of uprisings and protests, naturally, often center the experience of those directly confronting the oppressive power. If compatriots outside the area are considered at all, it is often to regard them as escapees, who have managed to find release and, hopefully, freedom. Which is present to some degree in Nilo’s own story, but she also documents the extent to which life in the diaspora is suffused with feelings of dislocation, guilt, distance from family, loss of language and culture, and a strangely detached sense of what’s happening in the land that you still want to call home. One of the most powerful tensions in the book is her own struggle with the question of returning—knowing that she cannot, and wanting so badly to do so anyway.
The alternating structure of the book—back and forth between Jamalpour and Tabrizy—works well to give a sense of the interconnection between these two lived experiences. Initially they seem to have distinct, identifiable roles: Jamalpour as the voice of direct, lived experience inside Iran; Tabrizy as the journalist in exile, supplying distance, history, and context. Fortunately, that paradigm dissipates; at various points, each of the two details the day-to-day of their own experience, and each provides broader context for the events and examples they provide. Each has a personal stake in the history, and each has a reporter’s instinct for gathering and presenting evidence. Their perspectives overlap and intertwine in ways that are not always obvious, but that provide a textured rendering of oppression.
I did occasionally find myself wishing for a more coherent narrative, especially of the movement within Iran. The stories of individual actors and victims were presented pretty fully, and it’s clear that they all tie together under the banner of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement. But it feels very disjointed. I will note that I listened to this on audio; had I been physically reading, I might have taken more moments to look up photos, etc.—the sorts of things that might have given me more context to hold things together. Then too, the story of such an uprising is bound to be disjointed, and probably I’m wishing for something that wouldn’t actually have been an improvement (at least as far as veracity).
Finally, I should say also that I appreciated these authors’ viewpoints on the West, and especially on Western media. Obviously the governments of Britain and the U.S. are implicated in the recent history of oppression and struggle in Iran, and it’s clear to even a casual observer that much of their guilt arises from an utter disregard for Iranian citizens as people. But before reading this book, I hadn’t appreciated the Western media’s disrespect for those same people—even to the point of minimizing or ignoring the awareness and insight of Iranian women in their employ (Tabrizy and Jamalpour, for example), who could do such spectacular work on the subject if their respective news agencies would give them the consideration and support they deserve. One expects Western populations to be obtuse in these matters; one might even expect the same of Western governments. But such a failure on the part of Western media is harder to understand or forgive.
It’s a challenging read—a bit unpolished, and full of grief transitioning to rage. But I didn’t find it overpowering so much as awe-inspiring. The persistence—endurance—of these two, and of Iranian women at large, is truly stunning, and I appreciate having borne some witness to it.
April 13, 2026
I sprout,
Upon the wound on my body,
Solely by the decree of my existence,
For I am a woman, a woman, a woman.
I’m not sure I have the right words to describe how much of a painful read this was. I can imagine how insanely difficult it was for Jamalpour and Tabrizy to shine a spotlight on each of the protester’s stories, sifting through their own traumas in the process.
Through this book, we get a glimpse of what it’s like to be a woman in a country that seems determined to strip them of their voices. Reading about the mandatory hijab laws, the incessant killings, the threats, the brute force used to silence family members who are grieving, and the stories of every single woman who continues to fight for all of Iran moved me to tears. As if being a woman on this planet isn’t hard enough, the women of Iran have to struggle against a brutal regime.
Despite the heaviness of this book, Jamalpour and Tabrizy manage to end it in a hopeful note. Because of this, I know that this book (and the people of Iran) will stay with me forever.
March 31, 2026
Sisällöltään ja viesteiltään aivan älyttömän tärkeä ja onnistunut kirja, joka avasi ainakin itselle ihan uudella tavalla niin Iranin historiaa kuin nykytilannettakin. Samalla kirjan rakenne vaikutti kuitenkin hieman sekavalta, asioita toisteltiin jonkun verran ja välillä ainakin itse kadotin punaisen langan siitä, miten juuri lukemani asia liittyy vaikka edelliseen lukuun. Välillä tuntui myös että kirjottajat keskittyivät niin paljon viestimään asioista journalistisella ja objektiivisella otteella, että tunnelataus katosi jatkuvassa kamalien tapahtumien listausviidakossa. Arvostan silti kirjaan laitettua työtä sekä kirjoittajien (kuin muidenkin Iranin hallintoa vastustavien) aivan älytöntä rohkeutta, johon en tiedä pystyisinkö itse.
February 26, 2026
“In the name of women, in the name of life, The slave clothes were torn, May our black night dawn, All whips be axed, To be called with rosebuds, Let me and you became us again.” - University of Arts in Tehran
Este libro lo es todo. De qué manera consigue transmitir el coraje y la rabia de toda una generación de mujeres. En este libro Fatemeh y Nilo no solamente han contado una historia, sino que han puesto todo su corazón. Solamente puedo decir gracias por haberme abierto los ojos de esta manera. Ojalá todas fuéramos conscientes de lo que están luchando y tragando nuestras compañeras en Irán. Estoy segura de que vencerán, no puede ser de otra manera. Estamos con vosotras ❤️
Este libro lo es todo. De qué manera consigue transmitir el coraje y la rabia de toda una generación de mujeres. En este libro Fatemeh y Nilo no solamente han contado una historia, sino que han puesto todo su corazón. Solamente puedo decir gracias por haberme abierto los ojos de esta manera. Ojalá todas fuéramos conscientes de lo que están luchando y tragando nuestras compañeras en Irán. Estoy segura de que vencerán, no puede ser de otra manera. Estamos con vosotras ❤️
March 31, 2026
“I did not want to dip my bread in other people’s blood before eating it.”
With only a surface level knowledge of life in Iran and the oppression of women under the regime, reading this provided an eye-opening insight into the lives of Iranians - those still living in Iran and those that have left. Both Nilo and Fatemeh demonstrate incredible integrity and bravery, sacrificing their own safety to share the truth.
As the book is written from two different perspectives, I felt this resulted in a structure that lacked cohesion. The timeline of events shifts constantly so it can be hard to follow the events, especially as someone unfamiliar with the information being shared.
With only a surface level knowledge of life in Iran and the oppression of women under the regime, reading this provided an eye-opening insight into the lives of Iranians - those still living in Iran and those that have left. Both Nilo and Fatemeh demonstrate incredible integrity and bravery, sacrificing their own safety to share the truth.
As the book is written from two different perspectives, I felt this resulted in a structure that lacked cohesion. The timeline of events shifts constantly so it can be hard to follow the events, especially as someone unfamiliar with the information being shared.
December 26, 2025
My copy of this book has been annotated by both ink and tears.
Having one author be born, raised, and currently residing in Iran while the other was born in Iran but moved to Canada at an early age, and the choice to have chapters alternating between them, was what really made this book stand out in my opinion. The Iranian diaspora is incredibly rich and widespread and while many of us weren't born in Iran, our roots remain proud and strong. The alternating perspectives helped strengthen the bonds and connections the diaspora has to those who reside in Iran currently.
I found myself relating heavily to the internal turmoil felt as a diaspora member, watching these events play out in your ancesteral land, wanting to do something but feeling like you are too far away to do so. Reading stories of protests and protestors from the prespective of those on the ground was equally invigorating and heart breaking. The bravery of Iranian women and the men who support them was nothing short of inspiring. No effort or sacrifice deemed too heavy in pursuit of women, life, and freedom. The tragedies they have faced at the hands of this regime shattered my heart to read, yet they would face it head on and double down on their fight. A part of me wishes to be there, fighting along side my sistes and brothers for our home and culture; yet another part feels grateful, if not a bit guilty, that I am a part of the disaspora and living a better life than the one I would've if my parents hadn't immigrated here. A feeling all to common among the diaspora.
One particular part that hit me hard was when one of the authors describes how they began tearing up when traveling with some friends. One of their firends, who was from that country, was showing them around, helping them communicate with locals, and introduce them to the culture. The Persian culture is so deep and rich but due to the regime which has held our country hostage, the author and many others like myself, may never get to indulge such a joyous experience.
The bravery of the Iranian women throughout history will never be anything short of inspiring and beyond admirable.
Having one author be born, raised, and currently residing in Iran while the other was born in Iran but moved to Canada at an early age, and the choice to have chapters alternating between them, was what really made this book stand out in my opinion. The Iranian diaspora is incredibly rich and widespread and while many of us weren't born in Iran, our roots remain proud and strong. The alternating perspectives helped strengthen the bonds and connections the diaspora has to those who reside in Iran currently.
I found myself relating heavily to the internal turmoil felt as a diaspora member, watching these events play out in your ancesteral land, wanting to do something but feeling like you are too far away to do so. Reading stories of protests and protestors from the prespective of those on the ground was equally invigorating and heart breaking. The bravery of Iranian women and the men who support them was nothing short of inspiring. No effort or sacrifice deemed too heavy in pursuit of women, life, and freedom. The tragedies they have faced at the hands of this regime shattered my heart to read, yet they would face it head on and double down on their fight. A part of me wishes to be there, fighting along side my sistes and brothers for our home and culture; yet another part feels grateful, if not a bit guilty, that I am a part of the disaspora and living a better life than the one I would've if my parents hadn't immigrated here. A feeling all to common among the diaspora.
One particular part that hit me hard was when one of the authors describes how they began tearing up when traveling with some friends. One of their firends, who was from that country, was showing them around, helping them communicate with locals, and introduce them to the culture. The Persian culture is so deep and rich but due to the regime which has held our country hostage, the author and many others like myself, may never get to indulge such a joyous experience.
The bravery of the Iranian women throughout history will never be anything short of inspiring and beyond admirable.
December 16, 2025
the mixture of unflinching pain and risk with both poetic words and depth of information was great.
“It’s my life’s mission to freeze moments in time before they become history, before they become forgotten and dusted with lessons that society should have heeded.”
“We didn’t need a forced coverage to keep ourselves warm. Our energy and resistance provide all the warmth we needed.”
“For those of us watching this unfold from far away, the possibility that the Islamic Republic might fall carried with it the possibility of return. Maybe we could all soon safely visit home. Anyone who wasn’t posting about the uprising or publicly showing solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Iran was seen as holding us back from a collective freedom. A friend posted about this online saying that the way we were surveilling each other was reminiscent of the Islamic Republic. ‘It’s like the ghost of Khomeini is haunting all of us’ he wrote. This internalized authoritarianism is woven into our collective experience.”
“I took the thread that she handed to me, matched it up to the historical fabric and stitched it together to form an understanding of our family. I can’t help but feel Aziz’s presence in this. The act of sewing, of stitching something to completion from scraps of what was left behind.”
“So I can’t imagine religion and the idea that you would go to the heaven after this provided relief. Their generation lost their real lives for an imaginary war.”
“But inside I was suffering from being a stranger.”
“I thought I could blend in in Tehran. That summer I learned I’d forever be a stranger no matter where I was.”
“Our anger was not only about the hijab. It was about the daily humiliation we endured in the name of hijab.”
“But instead the regime passed the measure in the middle of the night, perhaps hoping that our outrage would be quelled if they oppressed us while we were asleep.”
“I didn’t want to dip my bread in people’s blood before eating it.”
“The fabric that hides their hair is dripping with the blood of Jina and Nika.”
“It’s my life’s mission to freeze moments in time before they become history, before they become forgotten and dusted with lessons that society should have heeded.”
“We didn’t need a forced coverage to keep ourselves warm. Our energy and resistance provide all the warmth we needed.”
“For those of us watching this unfold from far away, the possibility that the Islamic Republic might fall carried with it the possibility of return. Maybe we could all soon safely visit home. Anyone who wasn’t posting about the uprising or publicly showing solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Iran was seen as holding us back from a collective freedom. A friend posted about this online saying that the way we were surveilling each other was reminiscent of the Islamic Republic. ‘It’s like the ghost of Khomeini is haunting all of us’ he wrote. This internalized authoritarianism is woven into our collective experience.”
“I took the thread that she handed to me, matched it up to the historical fabric and stitched it together to form an understanding of our family. I can’t help but feel Aziz’s presence in this. The act of sewing, of stitching something to completion from scraps of what was left behind.”
“So I can’t imagine religion and the idea that you would go to the heaven after this provided relief. Their generation lost their real lives for an imaginary war.”
“But inside I was suffering from being a stranger.”
“I thought I could blend in in Tehran. That summer I learned I’d forever be a stranger no matter where I was.”
“Our anger was not only about the hijab. It was about the daily humiliation we endured in the name of hijab.”
“But instead the regime passed the measure in the middle of the night, perhaps hoping that our outrage would be quelled if they oppressed us while we were asleep.”
“I didn’t want to dip my bread in people’s blood before eating it.”
“The fabric that hides their hair is dripping with the blood of Jina and Nika.”
September 23, 2025
If there is one non-fiction book you plan to read this year, make it For the Sun After Long Nights
Thank you, PRH Audio, for the gifted copy of this book {partner}
Genre: Non-Fiction
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 9.16.2025
Pages: 336
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
“Standing for freedom is more beautiful than freedom itself.”
The amount of bravery that every single person in this book showcased gives me chills just thinking about. I can’timagine putting everything you have on the line, but that is what the women (and men) of this book did and are still doing — and it’s the name of freedom.
It’s not hard to see the parallels between what happened in Iran and what is currently happening around the world. It made me uncomfortable, angry, depressed, and at the same time hopeful.
However, one of the most significant things this book brought to my life is empathy. Empathy for the Iranian people and the decades of brutality that they have endured. Yet, despite all of this, they continue to persist and work to find an end to the violence.
Audiobook Review: ☆☆☆☆☆
If audiobooks are your cup of tea, I highly recommend this audiobook, as both authors narrate it. Hearing both women recount their own stories made this book even more incredible. I could feel their sadness and bravery radiating with every word they spoke.
Read if you enjoy:
❤️🩹 Emotional Reads
🗣️ Dual POV
💪🏼 Stories of Empowerment
✊🏼 Female Solidarity
I absolutely recommend reading 'For the Sun After Long Nights,' but please tread carefully, as it is a heavy read and may be best read in segments.
______
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofc...
Follow me on Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/chaptersofc...
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Thank you, PRH Audio, for the gifted copy of this book {partner}
Genre: Non-Fiction
Format: 🎧📖
Pub Date: 9.16.2025
Pages: 336
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
“Standing for freedom is more beautiful than freedom itself.”
The amount of bravery that every single person in this book showcased gives me chills just thinking about. I can’timagine putting everything you have on the line, but that is what the women (and men) of this book did and are still doing — and it’s the name of freedom.
It’s not hard to see the parallels between what happened in Iran and what is currently happening around the world. It made me uncomfortable, angry, depressed, and at the same time hopeful.
However, one of the most significant things this book brought to my life is empathy. Empathy for the Iranian people and the decades of brutality that they have endured. Yet, despite all of this, they continue to persist and work to find an end to the violence.
Audiobook Review: ☆☆☆☆☆
If audiobooks are your cup of tea, I highly recommend this audiobook, as both authors narrate it. Hearing both women recount their own stories made this book even more incredible. I could feel their sadness and bravery radiating with every word they spoke.
Read if you enjoy:
❤️🩹 Emotional Reads
🗣️ Dual POV
💪🏼 Stories of Empowerment
✊🏼 Female Solidarity
I absolutely recommend reading 'For the Sun After Long Nights,' but please tread carefully, as it is a heavy read and may be best read in segments.
______
Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofc...
Follow me on Goodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/chaptersofc...
Follow me on StoryGraph:https://www.instagram.com/chaptersofc...
September 28, 2025
A must read about the Women, Life, Freedom movement and the courageous women who participated in and covered the protests, including the two authors who risk indefinite separation from their homeland as they expose the oppression and abuses of the Iranian regime. Be prepared for a lot of learning and a lot of feels! (5/5)
November 21, 2025
I read this because I saw Fatemeh Jamalpour at the Boston Book Festival. Her story, Nilo's story, the stories they tell in the book are really interesting. But I wish they had formatted the book different. It alternates between Fatemeh and Nilo, but they both jump around timeline wise and often repeat things.
April 2, 2026
I seriously had no clue. Call me ignorant all you want. I've heard about Jina who got killed by the Morality Police for showing her hair, but I really had no idea how bad the regime oppresses it's people. It's a very strange feeling reading this and then, meanwhile, realise that there's now the Iranian War.
Stories like this are so so important for so many reasons. If we're being real for a second, little me and my feelings reading this book won't help anyone that's already been killed, it won't make the life of Iranians any easier. But to me, reading this made Iran not just be yet another country I know nothing about, but now I feel something, I think something when I hear Iran mentioned. It's not just blank or a place on the map or a flag among many that I know about. And somehow, hearing these stories about all the very young and brave people who has been killed for showing some hair, participating in the protests or any other thing no one should be killed for, hearing their names, their individual stories and their grieving families... It makes it feel a little less tragic? Don't get me wrong, it's tragic, but to know that they didn't just die bravely in these protests and that was it, pointless. Me knowing their story and that their story and cause is in this book, with their names, makes their deaths have some kind of ripple effect, their protests and their deaths weren't for nothing. If their deaths are making me, a person living far away with no connection to Iran, this angry and engaged in their cause... It must mean something , right?
On top of that, to know what these two authors sacrificed to even write this book in the first place gives me goosebumps. The Iranian regime is trying to quiet them down, to let the deaths remain unknown, and they aren't succeeding, in part thanks to Fatemeh and Nilo. Many brave Iranians are literally risking their lives to make sure their loved ones deaths and what caused their death won't be left unknown. Which makes it even more powerful to be able to say, I know now. Thanks to this book. The regime didn't want me to know, or anyone to know, but I do.
The chapters switch between the two journalists Nilo and Fatemehs perspective. Nilo emigrated with her family to the U.S when she was a kid, and Fatemeh still lives in Iran and takes an active part of the protests. They have very different stories to tell, but both contribute to making this book as in depth as it is. Nilo works for The Washington Post and cover stories from Iran and has a lot of connections to Iran. She often get e-mailed videos, pictures and stories from people like Fatemeh that want their stories to be heard but have no possibility to publish anything directly from Iran.
I listened to the audio book and it's Nilo and Fatemeh themselves that narrate their different parts. I admit, at first I had a hard time following with Fatemehs accent. But I got used to it. After a while I found myself being almost more invested in Fatemehs sections...
The book is in four parts. First, the 2022-movement after Jina's death. Then some general Iranian history, followed by Nilo and Fatemeh talking about their own journey and experiences growing up. Their experiences are very different but impacting and interesting in different ways. I love how humble Nilo is, and that she's stating her privilege, but still tells her story. It ends with more current stories of protesters and their loved ones.
I know I can't do much for Iran, but I've read this book, I'll buy a physical copy and I'll read it again. This is a hard one to forget. I encourage everyone to read it. I'm giving it 5 stars, not just as a f*ck you to the regime or as an homage to Fatemeh and Nilo and all they have sacrificed to write this. This book is also genuinely good.
Lastly, can we take a second to appreciate how GORGEOUS the cover is?????
Stories like this are so so important for so many reasons. If we're being real for a second, little me and my feelings reading this book won't help anyone that's already been killed, it won't make the life of Iranians any easier. But to me, reading this made Iran not just be yet another country I know nothing about, but now I feel something, I think something when I hear Iran mentioned. It's not just blank or a place on the map or a flag among many that I know about. And somehow, hearing these stories about all the very young and brave people who has been killed for showing some hair, participating in the protests or any other thing no one should be killed for, hearing their names, their individual stories and their grieving families... It makes it feel a little less tragic? Don't get me wrong, it's tragic, but to know that they didn't just die bravely in these protests and that was it, pointless. Me knowing their story and that their story and cause is in this book, with their names, makes their deaths have some kind of ripple effect, their protests and their deaths weren't for nothing. If their deaths are making me, a person living far away with no connection to Iran, this angry and engaged in their cause... It must mean something , right?
On top of that, to know what these two authors sacrificed to even write this book in the first place gives me goosebumps. The Iranian regime is trying to quiet them down, to let the deaths remain unknown, and they aren't succeeding, in part thanks to Fatemeh and Nilo. Many brave Iranians are literally risking their lives to make sure their loved ones deaths and what caused their death won't be left unknown. Which makes it even more powerful to be able to say, I know now. Thanks to this book. The regime didn't want me to know, or anyone to know, but I do.
The chapters switch between the two journalists Nilo and Fatemehs perspective. Nilo emigrated with her family to the U.S when she was a kid, and Fatemeh still lives in Iran and takes an active part of the protests. They have very different stories to tell, but both contribute to making this book as in depth as it is. Nilo works for The Washington Post and cover stories from Iran and has a lot of connections to Iran. She often get e-mailed videos, pictures and stories from people like Fatemeh that want their stories to be heard but have no possibility to publish anything directly from Iran.
I listened to the audio book and it's Nilo and Fatemeh themselves that narrate their different parts. I admit, at first I had a hard time following with Fatemehs accent. But I got used to it. After a while I found myself being almost more invested in Fatemehs sections...
The book is in four parts. First, the 2022-movement after Jina's death. Then some general Iranian history, followed by Nilo and Fatemeh talking about their own journey and experiences growing up. Their experiences are very different but impacting and interesting in different ways. I love how humble Nilo is, and that she's stating her privilege, but still tells her story. It ends with more current stories of protesters and their loved ones.
I know I can't do much for Iran, but I've read this book, I'll buy a physical copy and I'll read it again. This is a hard one to forget. I encourage everyone to read it. I'm giving it 5 stars, not just as a f*ck you to the regime or as an homage to Fatemeh and Nilo and all they have sacrificed to write this. This book is also genuinely good.
Lastly, can we take a second to appreciate how GORGEOUS the cover is?????
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