Description:
A NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE
A powerful, unflinching portrait of a generation fighting for change in Iran, Afghanistan, and Ukraine
"Sala's dispatches are as immersive and original as they are anthropologically probing... [They] come alive in ways that ordinary newspaper journalism rarely does."--The New York Times Book Review
In The Fire, acclaimed journalist Cecilia Sala takes readers on a gripping journey through some of the world's most volatile regions, from Eastern Europe to the Middle East. Through the eyes of young people like Kateryna, a Ukrainian soldier; Assim, an Iranian student at the forefront of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protests; Nabila, a Muslim kickboxing champion and lesbian; and Zarifa, a political activist in Afghanistan, Sala offers an intimate portrayal of lives caught amidst turmoil and fighting for a better life.
By immersing herself in their worlds--in their daily lives and political battles--Sala crafts a poignant narrative that captures the human dimension of some of the world's most intense conflicts. The Fire is a testament to the courage and hunger for freedom of a generation at the forefront of global change.
"In steady, unblinking prose, Cecilia Sala paints a sweeping portrait of young activists fighting for freedom around the world."--Ms. Magazine
Brief description:
Cecilia Sala is a journalist, war correspondent, and podcaster. Her reporting has appeared in L'Espresso, Vanity Fair, and Wired. She has covered crises in Venezuela, protests in Chile, Iran, the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021, and the war in Ukraine. On December 19, 2024, she was arrested in Tehran by the Iranian regime and held in solitary confinement in Evin Prison, where she remained for three weeks before being released. Soon after been freed, she returned to reporting from the field, continuing to cover global conflicts and political upheavals.
Review Quotes:
"Marie Colvin... used to say that her calling was to write about 'humanity in extremis.' As Sala makes clear in The Fire... she is a worthy successor to that noble pursuit. Her dispatches are as immersive and original as they are anthropologically probing... Sala intersperses these fascinating mini-profiles with facts about life in the countries she visits that make them come alive in ways that ordinary newspaper journalism rarely does."--Ruth Margalit, The New York Times Book Review
"In steady, unblinking prose, Cecilia Sala paints a sweeping portrait of young activists fighting for freedom around the world. Drawing on interviews, historical analysis and firsthand accounts, The Fire is the perfect book for anyone seeking inspiration and guidance from those at the front lines of global conflict."--Ms. Magazine, Most Ancitipated Books of Fall 2025
"In these fiery times the stories provide crucial context and words of caution but also something else in short supply: hope."--The New World
"The Fire centers on the stories of the young people Sala meets on her fearless reporting trips around the world. A Ukrainian soldier, an Iranian protestor, an Afghan activist--those risking their lives for political change, in essence. The archetype of the globetrotting reporter hopping from warzone to warzone is alive and well."--GQ, Most Anticipated Books
"What the stories in The Fire have in common is the age of their protagonists, all in their twenties and thirties--young people coming of age while the world around them is in flames... This is essential reading for understanding the present."--Il Messaggero
"A choral reportage that starts from the personal stories of these twenty-something men and women and, following their gaze, broadens the story to the geopolitical context in which protests, wars, and rebellions have erupted."--Rivista Blam
"The only hope left lies with the younger generations; they are the only ones who still have a vision and can recount the story of our planet without prejudices. Cecilia Sala, journalist and war correspondent in her twenties, does precisely that, with great skill and passion, in her extraordinary book The Fire."--Io Donna