Let’s agree to have a complicated conversation. The quick version of this story is useless.

And though there has been plenty of discord in his young life, Daniel’s story is infused with hope and love. Daniel is a good boy with good intentions and a pure heart. Not even the neo-Nazis who live in Owasso, Oklahoma.’īut there’s a sweetness, too. It’s often laugh-out-loud funny with a bitter twist that highlights Daniel’s harsh reality: ‘Nobody in America likes grammar Nazis. With a knowing wink at the storytelling tradition of One Thousand and One Nights, Daniel’s personal recollections are embellished with events from Persian history and traditional folk tales.įunny, biting, and sad, Daniel’s voice is a combination of wide-eyed innocence and pragmatic experience that represents the 10-year-old refugee he was and the measured adult he will become. We also get snapshots of Daniel’s troubling new life in the United States. He recalls his scant, precious memories of his grandparents in Iran, and we learn why he, his mom, and sister ended up in Oklahoma - and his father did not. His narrative swoops and swirls through time and place as he tries to help his classmates - and himself - makes sense of who he is and where he comes from. They’re poets, which is worse.’Īs he replies to prompts from his teacher, Daniel tells the story of his life so far. My mom says it’s true, but only because everyone has sinned and needs God to save them. Miller’s class think, but I’m the only Persian they’ve ever met, so I don’t know where they got that idea. ‘All Persians are liars, and lying is a sin. The story opens with Daniel telling a story to his middle school class in his new hometown. This is his unforgettable story, told in his inimitable voice. He’s Iranian but now finds himself living in Oklahoma.

He’s got dark skin, he’s hairy, and his butt is big. The hero of our story is Khosrou, but everyone calls him Daniel.

Everything sad is untrue book review