2024 the best of everything novel review

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WINNER, MICHAEL L. PRINTZ AWARD

WINNER, CHRISTOPHER AWARD

WINNER, MIDDLE EAST BOOK AWARD

WALTER AWARD HONOR

National Bestseller

NPR Best of the Year

New York Times Best of the Year

Amazon Best of the Year

Booklist Editors’ Choice

BookPage Best of the Year

Publishers Weekly Best of the Year

Wall Street Journal Best of the Year

Today.com Best of the Year

NECBA Windows & Mirrors Selection

“A modern masterpiece.”—New York Times

“Supple, sparkling and original.”—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

★ “A modern epic.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ “A rare treasure of a book.” —Publishers Weekly (starred)

★ “A story that soars.”—The Bulletin (starred)

★ “At once beautiful and painful.”—School Library Journal  (starred)

★ “Raises the literary bar in children’s lit.” —Booklist  (starred)

★ “Poignant and powerful.” —Foreword Reviews (starred)

★ “One of the most extraordinary books of the year.” —BookPage (starred)

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, Daniel spins a tale to save his own life: to stake his claim to the truth.

A tale of heartbreak and resilience and urges readers to speak their truth and be heard.

- Daniel is a major force and one of the youngest publishers in the industry.
- He’s an #OwnVoices author, public speaker, and storyteller.
- A pulled-from-the headlines immigrant story.
- Thematically relevant as immigration stories take center stage in politics, news, and media in 2020.
- Daniel challenges how we tell stories by using traditional Persian folk tales
- A fantastic literary whirlwind  that questions western narrative structures.

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Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars

106

4.6 out of 5 stars

3,433

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Also by Daniel Nayeri
On Sale March 2023

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Levine Querido; Reprint edition (August 8, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1646142721
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1646142729
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12+ years, from customers
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 5 - 7
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches
Reviewer: T-Rae
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Top 5 fave books of all time.
Review: This is a beautifully written, masterfully woven memory novel. It is relatable even while telling a story of a boy who grew up experiencing life very different from my childhood. Told through the eyes of a middle school boy, it is both poignant and entertaining. It is beautiful and tragic and hopeful. I am so thankful to Daniel for sharing his story in this way and reminding us that we are all human. And may everything sad really become untrue. (The audio version of this book is pure gold. Read by the author. I listened 3 times in two weeks and bought the hard copy because I wanted to highlight and notate.)Note: I think this book is best read with an adult or by older middle school because there are some parts that might be hard for younger middle grade kids to process. Also the beauty of the woven story might be lost on younger middle school.

Reviewer: Raven johnson
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Wonderful
Review: I bought this for my teenage son. I thought it was in the graphic novels. When it came he was like “ew,” with his face. Haha. He’s at that age where he only likes what he likes. So I decided I would read it so I could tell him how great it was. But, I was so captivated by it. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I really do want him to read it someday, but now I want to wait until he’s old enough to appreciate it, not just appeasing me. He’s 13 and everything I like is for old people. Ha! It’s not just that it’s well written, it’s how you feel like you’re really hanging out in his world with him. Also, I’m OIF veteran, and I’m empathetic to the Middle East because of it. I’ve read so many “mature” non fiction books, and come away learning less than I did reading this one. Also, I’m into reading coming of age novels right now I’m the hopes that it will help remind me what it was like to be so young and vulnerable; so that I can be more understanding of my son and his middle school plight. Anyway, blah blah blah, just give it a shot!

Reviewer: lonidee
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: poignant & real
Review: This book is an excellent read. It’s an immigrant story and an American story and a story of being marginalized in all facets of life and surviving. It’s heavy and yet reads like it’s being told by a preteen boy. It’s a 4 star read for me. It’d be 4.5, but I’m the kind of person who needs chapters.

Reviewer: Mississippi Nerd Mom
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: incredible
Review: This is a magnificent book. It’s brilliantly written, with nods to myths and classic lit but believably in the voice of a tween boy. I teach high school English and have taught the 1001 Nights, which is a recurrent frame for the narrative. The protagonist’s experience as an immigrant is heartbreaking and inspiring. I will absolutely add this book to my syllabus and intend to impress my reading friends with an urgent appeal to Read This Book!

Reviewer: Karen McFarland
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Read it!!
Review: This is a wonderful book and I highly recommend it. Written in a different style -- immigrant boy telling a story of his life experiences to his classmates and trying to fit in — I was trying to determine how everything was going to work out for him. Sad but so worth the read and an excellent ending. I loved this and will likely re-read it. Excellent read.

Reviewer: Cherie L.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Sadness Balances Joy, But not Always
Review: This autobiography, told in a child's voice, opened an intriguing perspective of the lives of refugees and the challenges they face. I felt grief, fear, joy, anger, and a raft of other emotions less describable in a single word, all wafting out of the pages and inviting the reader to share. Commendable were the explanations for the perhaps unfamiliar Iranian customs and insight into the way societies operate, sometimes unfairly.I wish the author's mom had gotten a burkini, but perhaps they hadn't been introduced yet. A good read!

Reviewer: Carolina Girl
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: On my shortlist of favorites
Review: YA isn't typically my genre, so although this book came highly recommended, I dragged my heels about reading it. Such a mistake! "Everything Sad Is Untrue" is now on my shortlist of all-time favorite books. It's the (slightly fictionalized) true story of a young refugee from Iran and his family, his illegal faith, his heritage, his heartaches -- told in a way that manages to be completely charming and utterly heartbreaking all at once. (And the food descriptions! "He layers his baklava with walnuts and cardamom. His almond cakes are subtle and the cherry puree on top is joyous, bold, even a little wanton.")At its heart, this book is about what it means to be human. Nayeri tells his story masterfully, weaving together references to Persian myths and legends, family folklore, "1,001 Nights" -- and yes, poop stories. (I didn't expect to find these funny, but the incident at the sleepover was hilarious!) Since blazing through a copy from the library last week, I've already bought two copies to give as gifts and one for myself, as this is a book I want to keep coming back to. Well done, Daniel Nayeri! Well done.

Reviewer: Mary Murphy
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: BORING
Review: I read a LOT of books. But this book was difficult to follow. I finally gave up and sent it back to the seller for a refund, and I don't think I have ever done that with any book before!

Reviewer: Linda H
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Great read.

Reviewer: Arturo Orozco
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Lovely story about life and how to overcome. Not only children should read it but everyone!

Reviewer: Ginette
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Thank you, Khosrou, for sharing your memories of being a refugee child. I am left feeling really sad for all the trauma you have been through, now understanding that most of this trauma also applies to all other refugee children, as well as to adults. What a great book! I am so pleased to have read it. I'd recommend it to everyone.

Reviewer: Dr. Andreas
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: 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,

Reviewer: Rachael
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I havent read a book like it, it was like memoirs but from a child's perspective who was trying to hold on to the only memories he had of his family before his mum fled with him and his sister as refugees to America. It jumps between a lot of topics and it's easy to pick up and put down cause the chapters are short. Made me laugh and cry and I felt like I was a kid again.He thinks deeply about heavy topics but with the limited knowledge of a child, explaining things how he understands them, mixing together his Persian and Oklahoman culture. He is very descriptive of his experiences and the emotions they brought and this makes it easy for anyone to relate to.It did take a few weeks for it to arrive but was worth the wait.