Everything Sad is Untrue: (a true story)
Now in paperback!
WINNER: MICHAEL L. PRINTZ AWARD - CHRISTOPHER AWARD - MIDDLE EAST BOOK AWARD - WALTER DEAN MYERS AWARD HONOR
BEST OF THE YEAR: NPR - New York Times - Amazon - Booklist - BookPage - Publishers Weekly - Wall Street Journal - Today.com
From national bestselling author Daniel Nayeri comes a sprawling, evocative, and groundbreaking autobiographical novel told in the unforgettable and hilarious voice of a young Iranian refugee. It is a powerfully layered novel that poses the questions: Who owns the truth? Who speaks it? Who believes it?
"A patchwork story is the shame of the refugee," Nayeri writes early in the novel. In an Oklahoman middle school, Khosrou (whom everyone calls Daniel) stands in front of a skeptical audience of classmates, telling the tales of his family's history, stretching back years, decades, and centuries. At the core is Daniel's story of how they became refugees--starting with his mother's vocal embrace of Christianity in a country that made such a thing a capital offense, and continuing through their midnight flight from the secret police, bribing their way onto a plane-to-anywhere. Anywhere becomes the sad, cement refugee camps of Italy, and then finally asylum in the U.S.
Implementing a distinct literary style and challenging western narrative structures, Nayeri deftly weaves through stories of the long and beautiful history of his family in Iran, adding a richness of ancient tales and Persian folklore. Like Scheherazade of One Thousand and One Nights, Daniel spins a tale to save his own life: to stake his claim to the truth.
A tale of heartbreak and resilience and urges readers to speak their truth and be heard.
P R A I S E
"A modern masterpiece."--New York Times
"Supple, sparkling and original."--Wall Street Journal
"Mesmerizing."--TODAY.com
"This book could change the world."--BookPage
"Like nothing else you've read or ever will read."--Linda Sue Park
"It hooks you right from the opening line."-NPR
★ "A modern epic."--Kirkus (starred)
★ "A rare treasure of a book." --Publishers Weekly (starred)
★ "A story that soars."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred)
★ "At once beautiful and painful."--School Library Journal (starred)
★ "Raises the literary bar in children's lit." --Booklist (starred)
★ "Poignant and powerful." --Foreword Reviews (starred)
★ "One of the most extraordinary books of the year." --BookPage (starred)
- Daniel is a major force and one of the youngest publishers in the industry.
- He's an #OwnVoices author, public speaker, and storyteller.
- A pulled-from-the headlines immigrant story.
- Thematically relevant as immigration stories take center stage in politics, news, and media in 2020.
- Daniel challenges how we tell stories by using traditional Persian folk tales
- A fantastic literary whirlwind that questions western narrative structures.
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Community Reviews
Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri is simply stunning. Though it's labeled as Young Adult Fiction, this book is so much more—it's literary fiction at its finest. The narrative and style are so grown-up, so raw and real, that I was blown away.
The story follows young Khosrou, who loses everything: his father, his family, his home, his culture, his comfort, his language, his safety, his identity. The sheer tragedy of his refugee experience is laid bare in a way that left me both devastated by the cruelty and in awe of this stoic little boy who soldiers on, despite it all. Khosrou faces a world that constantly tries to other him because of his skin, his food, his culture—and yet, he endures.
Nayeri beautifully explains Iranian culture through Khosrou’s young eyes, while also questioning American culture in ways that are both thought-provoking and poignant. This book is a must-read for anyone who wants to better understand the brutal reality of life as a refugee. I adored every page and cannot recommend it highly enough.
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