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.
