DANIEL NAYERI
WINNER: MICHAEL L. PRINTZ AWARD CHRISTOPHER AWARD MIDDLE EAST BOOK AWARD WALTER DEAN MYERS AWARD HONOR
BEST OF THE YEAR: NPR New York Times Amazon Booklist BookPage Publishers Weekly Wall Street Journal Today.com
From national bestselling author Daniel Nayeri comes 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 familys history, stretching back years, decades, and centuries. At the core is Daniels story of how they became refugees-starting with his mothers 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.
P R A I S E
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 (starred)
? A rare treasure of a book. -Publishers Weekly (starred)
? A story that soars.-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred)
? At once beautiful and painful.-School Library Journal (starred)
? Raises the literary bar in childrens lit. -Booklist (starred)
? Poignant and powerful. -Foreword Reviews (starred)
? One of the most extraordinary books of the year. -BookPage (starred)
- Daniel is a major force and one of the youngest publishers in the industry.
- Hes 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.
