He doesn’t tell the story linearly, and that’s part of its power. The story is impossible to capture in this summary because Nayeri weaves together myth and family history with his real life, interweaving them to make a beautiful tapestry.

But what’s clear is that Daniel wants us to see him as a person-the way we see ourselves-and not some weird, smelly, poor kid, the way his classmates do.

Miller, his classmates, or us, the readers. Through much of the story, we’re unsure if he’s writing to his teacher Mrs. He tells of his beautiful childhood in Iran, the struggles of refugee life in three countries, family history, legends, and the good and bad things about is new life in Oklahoma. In the tradition of Scheherazade from the One Thousand and One Nights, Daniel (whose real name, Khosrou no one is Oklahoma can pronounce) weaves his stories into a masterpiece. Please read my whole review and don’t skip the Parents Should Know section, especially if you have a sensitive reader. But as Nayeri writes, “stories get better as they get more true,” and this is a true story, the story of the author’s childhood.Īlthough I loved this book, I do not think it’s for everyone. It’s both spellbinding and often uncomfortable. It is a stunningly beautiful and moving book. Everything Sad is Untrue: A True Story by Daniel Nayeri has won more awards than I can list here and seven starred reviews, and for good reason. When a book quotes Tolkien in the title and Dostoyevsky on one of the first pages, I pay attention.

All that is sad is untrue