Everything Sad Is Untrue (a true story)

What a beautiful and raw story! As an immigrant myself (but from a different country and with a totally different story) this book is so fascinating to me! I learned more about Iran and their traditions. It helped me to understand/see/feel another person’s history! The book is written in such a unique way and I loved that about it. It sucks you in as a fiction would but yet it’s like a history lesson. Highly recommended!

It's easy to see why this book has garnered so much acclaim. It's a story about a refugee, yes. But more so, it's a story about life, both the beautiful and the ugly, the good and the bad. It's about family, love, memory, faith, pain, friendship, and longing. Nayeri's prose is beautiful to read, and his storytelling is masterful. Rather than following the classic Western story structure, Everything Sad Is Untrue weaves stories from Daniel's childhood and family in and out of each other. There are no chapters. But everything works together perfectly. The various memories complement each other. Reading this book will make you wish you could be friends with young Daniel. You'll get a craving for Persian food. You'll wish you could see the house with the birds. Reading Everything Sad Is Untrue feels like sitting down with a friend while they tell you stories. And I love that. Cautions: One blasphemy and two instances of bleeped-out swearing. There's a phrase used several times that looks like a euphemism for swearing in English but is apparently not in Farsi (the language the characters are speaking at those times). Daniel's stepfather is abusive and it's clear to the reader that there's domestic violence. It's referenced a few times, though it only happens once briefly on page, non-graphic. A couple of stories involve injuries described with some description. (If you wince whenever someone tells a story involving a nail gun, you'll probably wince and skim these parts.) Daniel recounts a couple of myths that involve affairs, non-detailed. There's some rude humor due to several poop stories.

Knowing Iran and Iranians this book made me laugh and cry. He is so Persian in his style of description that I felt I was back in Iran. The comparisons with Shaharazad were charming. I truly enjoyed the book.

When one understands that this book is told in the manner of the great storyteller Scheherazade. (An ancient storyteller who had to tell stories to a king day after day under penalty of death.) As a grandmother this book also reminds me how grandchildren will tell you for an hour about something they saw or did which could have been told in a few minutes LOL A great book for kids and adults revealing the struggles of any child, or family, in the UN refugee system. Leaving everything behind except for memories, being looked down upon, and struggling to build a life in a new country. I enjoyed the humorous stories, felt saddened by the sad stories and felt extreme hope for the characters in the stories. Highly recommending this author and this book.

I do not typically write reviews for books that I read, simply because I read so many. This book has quickly rocketed to one of my top ten favorites of all time. 1. I loved the writers ability to create pithy, powerful sentences/sections. I could typically read a page or two and then spend time Reflecting on what I read. It’s a slow, beautiful read that you don’t want to end. 2. On one page I’d be laughing out loud, and the next page I’d be in tears. My high school students caught me both laughing and crying during our quiet reading time. 3. The patchwork narrative structure was such a great way to convey the theme - “the shame of a refugee is their patchwork story.” So beautifully executed through the melding of time, place, fiction, faith and cultural myths. Read this book. If you want to better understand others who come to the us seeking asylum and peace and life, read this book. I teach at a school with refugee and students from over 30 countries. Of everything I’ve read, this book most clearly and beautifully tells the story of so many. I’ve already bought two copies, and most people one my Xmas list will be receiving a copy as well. There is no higher praise than that.

If you only read ONE book this year, let it be this one: "Everything Sad is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri. This memoir of an Iranian refugee child who moved to Oklahoma in the 90s is endearing, funny, and utterly captivating. It interweaves fact with fiction, telling of his upbringing but also telling the myths and stories of his cultural heritage. I listened to it on OverDrive/Libby (the audio is read by the author) in the span of a day (it’s 8 hrs long!) and loved it so much that I bought the hardcover for us to keep in our library so we can revisit it over and over, like we do all the best stories. We are also reading it together as a family right now. The kids complain when it’s time to stop. That’s the BEST feeling in the whole world; having your kids engrossed so completely in a true story, a well-told story that includes elements of the Gospel and real-life lessons they need to know, that they whine when it’s over and beg to hear more. This is the kind of story I want to fill their heads with, one that includes hard truths but also magic and whimsy. If they heard only stories like these for years and years, imagine what kind of thoughts they’d think, what kind of things they’d write, and what kinds of people they’d be. That’s our goal: to find out. Read it, by yourself or with your family. You will not regret it. 😉

I love this book! It is honest and beautifully written. It made me think.

I learned a lot from this book. It helps to humanize people to understand them even just a little. Perhaps walk a mile in their shoes.

Very fast delivery. Great

Absolutely loved this book - really interesting exploration of the refugee experience through a child’s POV.

El libro es hermoso, muy bien escrito e increíblemente profundo. Muestra la vida de un niño refugiado, lo que dejó atrás, lo difícil del camino, la reacción de sus compañeros. De inmediato he kerido compartirlo con todos mis amigos esta navidad y entonces me he dado cuenta de que, aunque la versión en español existe (ISBN 9786078825059. Todo lo triste es mentira) vosotros no la tenéis. Por favor hacedla disponible,

Lovely story about life and how to overcome. Not only children should read it but everyone!

A wonderful book. Unique. Could not put it down and stopped numerous times to reread beautifully observed passages