About However Long the Night
• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (April 30, 2013)
The story of how one of the “most powerful women in women’s rights” (Forbes)is paving the way to a world with human dignity for all.
However Long the Night is the extraordinary story of one woman’s determination to create a movement toward change, and a better future, for millions of girls and women across Africa. Molly Melching grew up in the Midwest but was called to explore the world outside her hometown when she arrived in Senegal in 1974. There, she quickly grew invested in the fate of the Senegalese women she met. Based on her experiences living in a remote African village, she founded Tostan, an organization dedicated to empowering African communities by using democracy and human-rights-based education to promote relationships built upon dignity, equality, and respect. She forever changed her life and the lives of those touched by Tostan.
Unlike many Western organizations that have tried to transform various African cultures from the outside, Melching, who was named as one of the “150 women who shake the world” by Newsweek and Daily Beast, understands that true change comes only from within. Tostan’s groundbreaking strategies have led to better education for the women of rural Africa, improved health care, a decrease in child/forced marriage, and declarations by thousands of African communities to abandon the centuries-old practice of female genital cutting.
However Long the Night brings together Melching’s riveting personal journey with the stories of the Senegalese women and men who found the courage to lead this movement. This book is a testament to the fact that the connections between women can lead to a better world.
About Aimee Molloy
Aimee Molloy has collaborated on seven books, including with Newsweek journalist Maziar Bahari on Then They Came for Me: A Family’s Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival and with Pam Cope on Jantsen’s Gift: A True Story of Grief, Rescue, and Grace. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Duke University and a master’s degree from New York University. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and daughter.
Find out more about Aimee at her website.
Aimee’s Tour Stops
Monday, May 13th: Dreaming in Books
Wednesday, May 15th: Lavish Bookshelf
Saturday, May 18th: My Bookshelf
Wednesday, May 22nd: guiltless reading
Wednesday, May 29th: Library of Clean Reads
Monday, June 3rd: missris
Tuesday, June 4th: As I turn the pages
Wednesday, June 5th: 5 Minutes For Books
Monday, June 10th: Peppermint PhD
Tuesday, June 11th: Book Journey