A National Indie Bestseller
An NPR Best Book of the Year
A New York Times Best Book of the Year
An Amazon Best Book of the Year
A Booklist Editors' Choice
A BookPage Best Book of the Year
A NECBA Windows & Mirrors Selection
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year
A Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year
A Today.com Best of the Year
PRAISE
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.