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A review by kim_j_dare
Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
5.0
Scheherazade doesn’t have anything on Daniel Nayeri. The author channels his 12-year-old self flawlessly in this heavily autobiographical collection of stories about his childhood in Iran and his experiences as a refugee in Oklahoma after his mother converts to Christianity and they are forced to flee. As Khosrou (called Daniel in the States) regales his middle school class with stories of his experiences in a very 1,001 Nights manner, he is met with disbelief and the derision that middle-schoolers are so good at. But he persists, and just like Scheherazade with the king, his stories slowly help his listeners find their humanity again.
He does not shy away from tough truths. The terror of fleeing Iran, the invisibility of refugees, his abusive stepfather in Oklahoma— these things are part of the fabric of his story. But middle-grade and young adult readers will not forget the honest and resilient friend they have made in the pages of this book.
He does not shy away from tough truths. The terror of fleeing Iran, the invisibility of refugees, his abusive stepfather in Oklahoma— these things are part of the fabric of his story. But middle-grade and young adult readers will not forget the honest and resilient friend they have made in the pages of this book.