Book Review of "Everything is Untrue (A true story)" by Daniel Nayeri

1.     Bibliography

Nayeri, D. 2020. Everything sad is untrue (a true story). Levine Querido. ISBN: 9781646140008

2.     Plot Summary

We begin the story with the author David Nayeri talking about how the Persian people are liars but with these lies they are trying to show people their history.  Khosrou, which is Daniels real name talks about his first memory of his Baba Haji or his grandmother.  Daniels father calls once a month to remind him to remember his heritage and we get a story of Baker and Tamar.  We switch stories and Daniel talks about his stepfather, Ray and how he is cruel to his mother who gets a divorce but remarries because the pastor says Ray has repent his sins and they need the money.  At school Daniel is picked on and bullied and he often sleeps in to avoid having to go to school.  He usually goes home by himself because his sister is in after school activities, and his mom is working.  Daniel attends a wedding of a family member, and his mother then converts to Christianity.  Daniels father, Massoud, comes to the wedding and smuggles opium to sell.  After this his mother joins a secret church and when the Komiteh, the secret police, find out they are forced to flee.  At the end of the book Daniels father comes to speak to this class, showing us that most of the stories Daniel told were true.  We see Ray and Sima, Daniels mother, get into a fight and at the end the family leaves the abusive relationship, and we end with the family moving on to a better place together. 

3.     Critical Analysis

We meet the main character who is also the author of the book, Khosrou, or also known as Daniel Nayeri.  He tells the story from his perspective, and he shows his great storytelling writing. He talks about his arrival to the United States and his memories of his past.  Daniel wishes to be accepted in school but is only met with bullying and so he often wants to miss school on purpose.  He shows us different stories in the book but doesn’t always finish them before moving on to the next one.  We also meet Sima who is Daniel’s mother and refers to her as a hero.  She worked as a doctor in Iran but when they had to flee to the United States her credentials were not accepted so she was working on getting that.  She is a hard worker and always wanted the best for her children.  She made them do schoolwork even though they were traveling from place to place when they fled Iran.  There was also Massoud Nayeri who is Daniel’s dad, and he remained in Iran when his family fled.  Daniel only talks to his dad once a month and doesn’t have a big connection with him.  We see Daniel interact with children from different cultures in school, but they don’t treat him well, so Daniel feels alone and unaccepted.  The story takes place in contemporary times but has a lot of historical memories that take place.  We see Daniel in modern day life when he has school memories in Oklahoma, we see him deal with everyday experiences like we would today.  We see historical memories when Daniel talks about Iranian history and the Persian mythology.  The book shows us how hard it is for immigrant children to connect to their new world.  Daniel shows us the struggles he has when trying to fit-in to life in the United States.  This is a continuing theme in a lot of books from immigrant students.  We see some Islamic customs in the book like religious expectations that his mom experiences and the significance of the Qur’an.  We also see different foods represented in the book like saffron rice, pomegranates, dates, and lamb stews.  We get some clothing representations when Daniel talks about his mother and how she dresses modestly and when Daniel talks about himself and not looking like the other students with his dark skin and curly hair.  Overall, the book shows us about how we can find our identity and the struggles that immigrants have when they are trying to belong in a new culture but also remember who they are.  We see the power of storytelling and how this helps Daniel survive his time in school. 

4.     Review Excerpt(s)

"A modern epic." - KIRKUS REVIEWS ( starred review)

 

"A journey as intimate as it is epic. A remarkable work that raises the literary bar in children's lit."- BOOKLIST (starred review)

 

"At once beautiful and painful, this timely story is highly recommended for middle grade readers."- SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (starred review)

 

Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award

Christopher Award Winner

Middle East Book Award Winner

Walter Awards Honor Book

5.     Connections

*I would have students make a cultural identity collage by incorporating pictures that represent their culture.  They can share their collage with the class.

*Other books:

-Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

-The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney

-American Street by Ibi Zoboi