Reviews

"A patchwork story is the shame of a refugee.”
I don't have the words to express how much I loved this book. I laughed, I cried. I started reading page one again when I finished. I tagged so many passages that I bought my own copy and returned the library copy. This is the fictional true story of Khosrou Nayeri, but he goes by Daniel because nobody can pronounce his name. Also he's a refugee from Iran living in Oklahoma and he's just trying to fit in. He is standing in front of his class trying to tell his story but no one believes him because "All Persians are liars...that's what the kids in Mrs. Miller's class think, but I am the only Persian they've ever met, so I don't know where they got that idea." Like Scheherazade in 1,001 Nights, Daniel weaves a tale of personal vignettes and family legends with Persian histories and myths that are embroidered together to make up his story.

I wonder, where do I physically place this in the library? It's a fictional true story. Nayeri says: "This was my life, as I experienced it, and it is both fiction and nonfiction at the same time. Your memories are too, if you'll admit it. But you're not a liar. You're just Persian in your own way, with a flaw." I joked with the students as I booktalked it that I was going to hang it from a string in between the fiction and non-fiction sections.

I also wondered whose hands I would push this into first. Another reviewer mentioned the Booklist review:
"Nayeri challenges outright what young readers can handle, in form and content, but who can deny him when it’s his own experience on display? He demands much of readers, but in return he gives them everything. A remarkable work that raises the literary bar in children’s lit." It's all true. But also, I needn’t have worried about who to give it to or where to shelve it because it’s been checked out consistently since it arrived.

sopopia's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

slflorence99's review against another edition

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5.0

If you love great storytelling, look no further! This is a must read which only feels like YA, because it's written from POV of the author's 12 year old self. I hardly have words for this one, but it's absolutely beautiful and pure.