Novel Ideas Book Club: The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar

Novel Ideas — A Book Club for the Thoughtfully Curious, facilitated by Leah LaFera

Looking for a place to connect over great stories and meaningful conversation? Novel Ideas is a welcoming book club where we dive into contemporary fiction from authors of all backgrounds and explore the big themes that shape our world—identity, justice, love, loss, resilience, and more.

Each month, we gather in an intimate setting to discuss our featured novel, share perspectives, and savor light refreshments and snacks — all included with your ticket. Whether you're a seasoned reader or just rediscovering your love of fiction, this is your space to slow down, reflect, and be inspired.

We encourage you to support our local literary community by purchasing your book from The Open Door Bookstore or borrowing a copy from your local library.

✨ Come for the conversation, stay for the connection.

About the Book:

• 1979. Behsad, a young communist revolutionary, fights with his friends for a new order after the Shah's expulsion. He tells of sparking hope, of clandestine political actions, and of how he finds the love of his life in the courageous, intelligent Nahid.

• 1989. Nahid lives her new life in West Germany with Behsad. With their young children, they spend hour after hour in front of the radio, hoping for news from others who went into hiding after the mullahs came to power.

• 1999. Laleh returns to Iran with her mother, Nahid. Between beauty rituals and family secrets, she gets to know a Tehran that hardly matches her childhood memories.

• 2009. Laleh's brother Mo is more concerned with a friend's heartbreak than with student demonstrations in Germany. But then the Green Revolution breaks out in Iran and turns the world upside down.

A topical, moving novel about revolution, oppression, resistance, and the absolute desire for freedom.