Everything Sad Is Untrue: (A True Story)

Daniel Nayeri’s memoir follows Khosrou, later called Daniel, from childhood in Iran to life in Oklahoma. After his mother converts to Christianity and faces government persecution, Khosrou, his sister, and mother flee Iran, leaving his father behind. Their journey includes refugee camps in Italy before they reach Edmonds, Oklahoma. In middle school, Daniel tells classmates and his teacher stories of Iran and Persian culture, drawing on The Thousand and One Nights. He misses Iran and his father while trying to understand life in the United States.