EVERYTHING SAD IS UNTRUE (a true story)

by Daniel Nayeri

Published: 2020

Genre: Autobiography for ages 12+

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Summary:

Khosrou fled Iran with his older sister and mother in the middle of the night. They were refugees in Italy and then landed in Oklahoma, USA. The kids in his class are unsure of this dark-skinned boy whose lunch smells weird and tells stories that sound like something from the movie Aladdin. In Oklahoma, Khosrou is called Daniel. It is a true story of a young boy learning to adapt to a new culture while trying desperately to remember his family’s heritage.

Why I reviewed this book:

As the definition of a third culture kid (TCK) has evolved over the years, it has now become one of many subgroups of what is known as a cross-cultural kid (CCK). This was explained in detail at the International Third Culture Kid Conference (ITCKC) 2023. They reported that research shows that many of the subgroups of CCK have many similar shared experiences. This book is not a TCK book but rather that of the subgroup of refugees.

Here are a few of those shared experiences:

• learning a new language
• eating new foods
• living between two worlds: the American school life and that of home culture

I recommend this book to anyone over the age of 12. It has won many awards for good writing and for a children’s book. But I also recommend it to adults as we can relate to the themes as we are trying to raise our own children.

My Favorite Quote:

“Would you rather a god who listens or a god who speaks? Be careful with the answer.”

Daniel Nayeri, everything sad is untrue, page 216

This question and his conclusion continue to bounce around my brain, as it is such a good question. You’ll have to read the book to find out for yourself his answer.