Everything Sad Is Untrue: (a true story)
Christopher Award Winner
Middle East Book Award Winner
National Indie Bestseller
NPR Best Book of the Year
New York Times Best of the Year
Amazon Best of the Year
Booklist Editors' Choice
BookPage Best of the Year
NECBA Windows & Mirrors Selection
Publishers Weekly Best of the Year
Wall Street Journal Best of the Year
Today.com Best of the Year
Walter Awards Honor Book
"A modern masterpiece."--The New York Times Book Review
"Supple, sparkling and original."--The 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
SEVEN STARRED REVIEWS
* "A modern epic."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "A rare treasure of a book."--Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "A story that soars."--The Bulletin, starred review
* "At once beautiful and painful."--School Library Journal, starred review
* "Raises the literary bar in children's lit."--Booklist, starred review
* "Poignant and powerful."--Foreword Reviews, starred review
* "One of the most extraordinary books of the year."--BookPage, starred review
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 in a hostile classroom, Daniel spins a tale to save his own life: to stake his claim to the truth. EVERYTHING SAD IS UNTRUE (a true story) is a tale of heartbreak and resilience and urges readers to speak their truth and be heard.
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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.
The audiobook felt like we were just visiting, sharing stories around a meal or a few. The author is an amazing storyteller, and I'm thankful for sharing that part of himself with the world. His Baba Haji would be proud!
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