★ “A modern epic.”- Kirkus Reviews, starred review “It hooks you right from the opening line.” –NPR “Like nothing else you've read or ever will read.” -Linda Sue Park “This book could change the world.” - BookPage
“Supple, sparkling and original.” - Wall Street Journal PRINTZ AWARD WINNER, CHRISTOPHER AWARD WINNER, MIDDLE EAST BOOK AWARD WALTER AWARD HONOR
Like Scheherazade of One Thousand and One Nights, Daniel spins a tale to save his own life: to stake his claim to the truth.Ī tale of heartbreak and resilience and urges readers to speak their truth and be heard. 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. Anywhere becomes the sad, cement refugee camps of Italy, and then finally asylum in the U.S. 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.
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. “A patchwork story is the shame of the refugee,” Nayeri writes early in the novel. It is a powerfully layered novel that poses the questions: Who owns the truth? Who speaks it? Who believes it? A sprawling, evocative, and groundbreaking autobiographical novel told in the unforgettable and hilarious voice of a young Iranian refugee.
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