The remarkable story of two women named Nazanin—one a Canadian at the height of her career, the other a teenager on death row in Iran—and how one email changed their lives forever

Nazanin Afshin-Jam was on top of the world. In 2006, she had just signed her first record deal and, after placing as first runner-up for Miss World, was a sought-after fashion model and icon within the Iranian dissident community. But one afternoon, she received an email that would change the course of her life. The subject of that email—a Kurdish girl named Nazanin Fatehi—was facing execution in Iran, as punishment for stabbing a man who had tried to rape her. Afshin-Jam quickly came to Fatehi's defence, striding into the world of international diplomacy and confronting the dark side of the country of her birth, with its honour killings, violence against women and state-sanctioned executions of children. While Fatehi languished in prison, experiencing conditions so deplorable she attempted to end her own life, Afshin-Jam worked desperately on the campaign to save her. The Tale of Two Nazanins weaves together the lives of two women—one leading a life of opportunity, the other living in abject poverty—and a fight for justice that, if only for a moment, brought the Iranian regime to its knees. An inspiring story about the bonds of sisterhood, this extraordinary book speaks to the power of every individual to foster positive change in the world.

NAZANIN AFSHIN-JAM is an award-winning international human rights and democracy activist, a public speaker and the co-founder and president of the organization Stop Child Executions. Born in Iran and raised in Vancouver, Afshin-Jam holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations and political science, and a master’s degree in diplomacy with a concentration in international conflict management. She splits her time between Ottawa, New Glasgow and Paris.

WEB: nazanin.ca
FACEBOOK: Nazanin-Afshin-Jam-Official-Page
TWITTER: @Nazanin AJ

SUSAN McCLELLAND is a feature writer, an investigative journalist and the author of The Bite of the Mango, which was published to both literary and popular acclaim. McClelland has won numerous national and international awards for her work, including two Amnesty International Media Awards for excellence in human rights reporting. Her writing has appeared in such publications as The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, Maclean’s, Chatelaine and The Walrus.

WEB: susanmcclelland.com

Nazanin Afshin-Jam's profile page

Susan McClelland is an award-winning investigative journalist and author. Her writing has appeared in publications including the Globe and Mail, Maclean's, Canadian Living, Chatelaine and The Walrus. Her books include Bite of the Mango (Annick Press, 2008), The Last Maasai Warriors (Me to We, 2012) and The Tale of Two Nazanins (Harper Collins, 2012), and she has won two Amnesty International Media Awards for excellence in human rights reporting.

Susan McClelland's profile page