Scan barcode
tmsresolute's review against another edition
2.0
I think that I didn't read this book at the right time or maybe is because I forced myself to finish it, but I found it quite boring, forgettable and slow. The storytelling was linear and even if the author made it so that you will feel like a friend is telling you their life story, it felt excessive and overdone.
2/5 stars
2/5 stars
jeffcarlson96's review against another edition
5.0
A powerful and personal story of a child’s refugee experience. Beautifully woven with maybe a Persian flaw or two, but this book will make you think a lot about how we see others who are different than us. Rich with stories of food and family and smells, while also displaying the deep impacts of abuse and xenophobia. The ending will make you cry and remind you of the God of justice, who both listens and sees.
christinegreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
cathebes's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
roseapickles's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
floornaps's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
enichols29's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
courtneykfong's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bibliobrandie's review against another edition
5.0
"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.
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 against another edition
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