Webinar with best-selling writer Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, author of the forthcoming book, “The Daughters of Kobani: A Story of Rebellion, Courage, and Justice”

On the sixth anniversary of the liberation of Kobani, Syria from the Islamic State, please join the US Mission of the Syrian Democratic Council in welcoming best-selling author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon for a discussion about her much anticipated next book: 

THE DAUGHTERS OF KOBANI: A Story of Rebellion, Courage and Justice. 

Tuesday, February 9th, 2021 at 2pm
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER 

Moderator: Elise Labott

Elise Labott is a leading journalist covering US foreign policy, formerly CNN’s Global Affairs Correspondent and the founder of Twopoint.0 Media, a digital platform aimed at inspiring youth to solve today’s most pressing international challenges.

The Daughters of Kobani, to be released on February 16th, takes a look at the all-women’s force that battled the Islamic State in Syria and defeated it. These fearless women were essential partners of the US military, fighting for freedom in their towns and villages. Theirs is a remarkable story that shows what is at stake now as a new US administration sets its policy in Syria and the broader Middle East in 2021.

The women of Kobani and the region stood up to defend their land, fighting against men who sought to enslave them — and found themselves thrust onto the global stage. The book’s narrative speaks about how the United States came to fight the Islamic State alongside a partner that looked like no other.  

To register to attend the event, please go to:
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUqc-Chrj0sGdGLS8zUsZT-M9_VWSXyNlIr

—

BACKGROUND

1. In Oprah Magazine’s most anticipated books of 2021

https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/books/g34772945/best-books-2021/

2. In Publisher’s Weekly

https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-525-56068-5

3. In CNN’s list of “12 books we’re excited about this year”

https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/02/entertainment/books-anticipated-2021-trnd/index.html

—

BOOK JACKET LANGUAGE

In 2014, northeastern Syria might have been the last place you would expect to find a revolution centered on women’s rights. And yet that year, an all-female militia faced off against ISIS in a little town few had ever heard of. The Islamic State by then had swept across vast swaths of the country, taking town after town and spreading terror as the civil war burned all around it.  From that unlikely showdown in the town of Kobani emerged a fighting force that would wage war against ISIS across northern Syria as partner of the United States. In the process, these women would spread their own political vision, determined to make women’s equality a reality by fighting—house by house, street by street, town by town—the men who bought and sold women.

Based on years of on-the-ground reporting, The Daughters of Kobani is the unforgettable story of the women of the Kurdish militia that improbably became part of the world’s best hope for stopping ISIS in Syria. Over hundreds of hours of interviews, bestselling author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon introduces us to the women fighting on the front lines, determined to not only extinguish the terror of ISIS but also prove that women could lead in war and must enjoy equal rights come the peace. In helping to cement the territorial defeat of ISIS, whose savagery toward women astounded the world, these women played a central role in neutralizing the threat the group posed worldwide. In the process they earned the respect—and significant military support—of U.S. Special Operations Forces.

Rigorously reported and powerfully told, The Daughters of Kobani shines a light on a group of women intent on not only defeating the Islamic State on the battlefield but also changing women’s lives in their corner of the Middle East and beyond.

ENDORSEMENTS FOR THE DAUGHTERS OF KOBANI 

“The Daughters of Kobani is an unforgettable and nearly mythic tale of women’s power and courage. The young women profiled in this book fought a fearsome war against brutal men in impossible circumstances—and proved in the process what girls and women can accomplish when given the chance to lead. Brilliantly researched and respectfully reported, this book is a lesson in heroism, sacrifice, and the real meaning of sisterhood. I am so grateful that this story has been told.”
—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Loveand Big Magic

“The Women’s Protection Units (the YPJ) proved their heroism time and again throughout the campaign against the Islamic State. I was always concerned that our Syrian Kurdish partners would never get their full due; this excellent book by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon documents their contributions perfectly. I strongly recommend it.”

—Joseph L. Votel, General, US Army (Ret.)

“One of America’s premier storytellers has risked her life to research perhaps the most important subject of our times: the empowerment of women and the establishment of a truly egalitarian society. Documenting the extraordinary struggles of a small group of women battling ISIS, Lemmon has shown us unequivocally what female leadership can do for a society. It is breathtaking to behold.”
—Sebastian Junger, author of Tribe and War

“The extraordinary and humbling story of the women leading the fight against ISIS”
—Angelina Jolie  

“Absolutely fascinating and brilliantly written, The Daughters of Kobani is a must read for anyone who wants to understand both the nobility and the brutality of war.  This is one of the most compelling stories in modern warfare.”  —Adm. William H. McRaven, author of Make Your Bed, Little Things That Can Change Your Life…and Maybe the World and Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations 

“The Daughters of Kobani is real-time history told with rigor and heart.  Marrying two important narratives—the United States’s entry into the Syrian conflict from the air and the lived experience of Syrians fighting ISIS on the ground, it is a remarkable contribution.”
—Hassan Hassan, author of ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror  

“Moving and inspiring, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon vividly recounts the astonishing story of the all-women’s army that fought and died to stop ISIS. Fiercely brave women whose courage is unforgettable.”
—David Ignatius, The Washington Post 

–“This passionate and incisive book takes us into the radically brave hearts of the women who fought ISIS. The Daughters of Kobani is a gift to the women of the Middle East and to us, inscribing their sacrifice onto the history of a war no one will soon forget.”

—Azadeh Moaveni, author of Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS

—
Hosted by:
US Mission of the Syrian Democratic Council
www.syriandemocraticcouncil.us