Everything Sad Is Untrue (a true story) by Daniel Nayeri

Bibliographic Information:

• Title: Everything Sad Is Untrue
• Author: Daniel Nayeri
• ISBN: 1646140001
• Publisher: Levine Querido
• Copyright Date: August 25. 2020

Genre: Realistic Fiction/Contemporary Fiction/Biographical Fiction

Format: Book

Awards/Honors: Michael L. Printz Award 2021, New York Times Best Book of the Year

Reading Level/Interest: Children Grade 4-6, Ages 9-11 (Titlesource360), Grade Level 7-12 (Amazon.com)

Plot Summary: Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story) weaves together the past and present of Daniel (formerly known as Khosrou), an Iranian refugee, living with his mother and sister in Oklahoma. Forced to flee Iran due to a fatwa placed on Daniel’s mother, the three fled to a refugee camp in Italy, and eventually to Oklahoma. Even though the family was wealthy, they left everything behind, including Daniel’s father, to start a new life. The story, as told by Daniel, goes back and forth from past to present, weaving together his life in middle school in Oklahoma, his early childhood in Iran, and Persian folk tales and history.

Daniel, who is bullied for being different, presents stories to his class about his life in Iran and family history. He tells them in the style of Scheherazade, the Middle Eastern character and storyteller from the collection of tales, One Thousand and One Nights, also known as Arabian Nights. Daniel’s stories include cultural differences, the history of his family, the creation of Persian rugs, the conflict between Sunnis and Shiites, vivid descriptions of Iranian food, and many more. In his current life, Daniel talks about being bullied, his mother’s abusive relationship, his relationship with his step-father, life in Oklahoma, and the struggles of being a refugee. The book is a combination of the author’s history and fiction. The book is written as Daniel, a twelve-year-old, responding to writing prompts from his teacher. The book has themes of religion, family, faith, endurance, and love.

Author Background: Daniel Nayeri was born in Iran and emigrated to Oklahoma with his family when he was eight years old. He is the author of several children’s books, including Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story). He is also the publisher of Odd Dot, an imprint of MacMillan Children’s Publishing Group (Amazon, 2021). Nayeri is a former pastry chef who enjoys baking, writing, playing board games, and riding motorcycles. Nayeri lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, with his wife and eight-year-old son.

Nayeri studied writing at NYU and began writing books when his grandfather died. He started writing Everything Sad is Untrue as an adult novel, then as an essay collection, but felt that neither worked. He finally decide to put it in the voice of his “twelve-year-old self” and wrote it as a middle grade novel (Goddu, 2020).

Critical Evaluation: Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story) is a beautifully written autobiographical fiction novel about the author, Daniel (Khosrou) Nayeri. The story jumps between the present which is twelve-year-old Daniel living in Oklahoma, his life in Iran, his family history, and Persian folk tales. Although their are several time periods present, the book is written clearly and there is no confusion as to where in the story the narrator is. There are no chapters in the book which could be confusing to middle-grade readers, but teens and adults should not have a problem with that. The plot is engaging and interesting. The language is simple but not boring. The characters are well-developed, especially Daniel and his mother.

Everything Sad is Untrue (a true story) is classified and catalogued as a middle-grade book, however, it won the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. This award honors the best book written for teens each year, based on literary merit. While reading it, I felt that the although the language could be understood by middle-grade students, the content and writing style is better suited to teens. Some of the subject matter, including violence, domestic violence, and drugs could be too intense for younger readers. The lack of chapters could seem confusing as well. The book contains positive messages about faith, family, love, cultural differences, and endurance. It is a beautiful story but I would recommend it for teens and adults.

Creative Use for a Library Program: Since many of Daniel’s stories relate to Scheherazade and the One Thousand and One Nights tales (often referred to as Arabian Nights in English), I would have the teens read some of the original tales. The group could discuss them, followed by a craft such as Arabian jeweled lanterns or genie lamps.

Speed-Round Book Talk: “In one version, maybe I’m not the refugee kid in the back of Mrs. Miller’s class. I’m a prince in disguise.” So begins the tale of Daniel (Khosrou) Nayeri as he spins the story of his childhood in Iran, Persian history, and his life as a twelve-year-old in Oklahoma. If you love the stories of Arabian Nights and folk tales from other country, you are sure to enjoy this biographical fiction novel about the life of Daniel Nayeri.

Potential Challenge Issues and Defense: The biggest challenge for this book is due to the age group that the publisher recommends it for. The story includes drugs, domestic violence, and general violence which could be a little too intense for children ages 9-11. The subject matter is more appropriate for teens. I do not see a potential challenges with this age group.

Reason for Inclusion: Even though Everything Sad is Untrue is classified as Juvenile Fiction, I included it since I feel that the subject matter and writing style of the book is more appropriate for teens. The story is beautifully written and teens who enjoy contemporary fiction and folk tales from other countries will love the way the author weaves the present and past stories together. Since Everything Sad is Untrue is a Michael L. Printz Award winner, teens who like to read award-winning books will appreciate this book.

References:

Amazon. (2021). About Daniel Nayeri. Retrieved from https://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Nayeri/e/B003H5QV3A%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

Goddu, K. (2020, August 6). Q & A with Daniel Nayeri. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/84030-q-a-with-daniel-nayeri.html

Levine Querido. (2020, June 12). Daniel Nayeri talks truth, kindness, and EVERYTHING SAD IS UNTRUE (A True Story). [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e31PbN3_EvM&ab_channel=LevineQuerido