Tooran Popal’s ‘Seven Nights Till Dawn’ is the true story of survival, escape, and triumph against impossible odds. Born into an affluent family in Kabul, Tooran watched his childhood end when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. What followed was a seven day journey through mountains and minefields to reach safety, years rebuilding as refugees, and finally the challenge of creating a new life in America.
Tooran Popal was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1974 during peacetime into a very affluent family. At age five, his life and all of Afghanistan turned upside down when the Soviet Union invaded. Between ages five and ten, he witnessed Soviet brutality: many young neighbors, friends, and family members lost their lives, his teacher and neighbor was raped and killed, and his father was arrested and tortured twice.
Tooran and his family decided to escape Afghanistan and seek a better life. This journey took seven days and seven nights through the harsh mountains of Afghanistan on foot, crossing battlefields, harsh climates, steep mountains, with lack of food and shelter while their lives were at risk at every step. The journey took them to Pakistan and finally to the United States, where life did not start easy as they arrived without speaking the language, with no funds, and facing racism at every step.
Through hardship and turmoil, Tooran rose to the occasion by conquering challenges and becoming one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the United States. At age 22 he became General Manager of a very successful company, then continued to grow and gain wealth that allowed him to give back to his people in Afghanistan through his charity foundation.
‘Seven Nights Till Dawn’ tells the true story of Tooran Popal, whose peaceful childhood in Kabul ended abruptly when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979. At age five, Tooran witnessed brutality that no child should see: neighbors killed, his teacher raped and murdered, his father arrested and tortured twice. The invasion shattered everything his family knew.
When the danger became unbearable, Tooran’s family made the desperate decision to flee. Their escape took seven days and seven nights on foot through Afghanistan’s harsh mountains, crossing battlefields and minefields with minimal food and shelter. Every step risked their lives. The journey brought them first to Pakistan as refugees, then eventually to the United States.
Arriving in America brought new challenges: no English, no money, constant racism, and the struggle to survive in an unfamiliar country. Through determination and hard work, Tooran rose to become one of the youngest general managers in the automotive industry at age 22, then built multiple successful businesses. He never forgot his roots, founding a charity to help widows, orphans, and disabled individuals in Afghanistan.
Watch Tooran Popal describe his journey from a peaceful childhood in Kabul through seven nights escaping Soviet occupied Afghanistan to building a successful life in America while never forgetting his responsibility to help those still suffering. This preview captures both the personal struggle and the broader humanitarian mission that defines his story.
Explore the journey from war-torn childhood to survival, success, and service. Each chapter offers a deeper look into the moments that shaped Tooran Popal’s life and purpose.
Life would never be the same. It was Christmas Eve, December 24, 1979, and the people of the Soviet Union were celebrating the birth of their Christian Savior. Throughout Russia and many other countries of…
I was born Tooran Popal on May 2, 1974, into a loving family that enjoyed a prosperous life in the beautiful capital city of Kabul. I am descended from the Popalzai or Pashtun (pash-tune), which…
Read how ‘Seven Nights Till Dawn’ connected with readers who found inspiration in Tooran’s journey from refugee to entrepreneur and his commitment to helping others despite overwhelming obstacles.
As a fellow refugee, though from a different country, I recognized so much of my own family’s experience in these pages. The details about the escape, the poverty in refugee camps, the struggles in America, all of it felt true in ways that sanitized accounts never capture. Tooran’s honesty about how hard it was, and still is, gave me language for things I have struggled to explain to people who have never lived through displacement.
I teach modern Middle Eastern history and assigned this book to my students. The personal narrative brings the Soviet invasion and its aftermath to life in ways textbooks cannot. My students who had no connection to Afghanistan came away with genuine understanding of what these conflicts meant for ordinary families. The seven night escape through the mountains became the part they remembered most vividly.
I picked this up not knowing anything about Afghanistan’s recent history. By the end I understood the Soviet invasion, the Mujahideen resistance, the civil wars, the Taliban, and the 2021 collapse in ways news articles never helped me grasp. Tooran explains the political complexity while keeping the focus on human impact, which made it accessible without oversimplifying.
As someone who works with refugee resettlement, I appreciated that Tooran did not pretend arriving in America solved everything. He shows the racism, the poverty, the cultural barriers, and the grinding work required to build stability. Too many people think refugees get easy assistance and quick success. This book shows the reality, which is years of struggle with few resources and constant obstacles.
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