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.