Daniel Nayeri’s “Everything Sad is Untrue: (A True Story)” tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who came to the United States after experiencing life as a refugee. He recounts his struggle of forgetting the home that he came from while trying to preserve his culture as a fundamental piece of who he is.
The book is written in a non-linear fashion with no chapters. The author weaves Persian myths into his own personal story, an integral part of Nayeri’s culture. While some may find this form of storytelling difficult to follow, I found it to be quite refreshing. The unconventional writing style served the story well because it is being told from the perspective of a 12-year-old child whose memories are difficult to sort through. This method of storytelling complemented the book’s focus and further showed the ways that Nayeri’s life felt mixed up.
So often, we see stories about immigrants presented by popular media that fail to include the voices of real-life individuals who have migrated. Daniel’s story provides a perspective on immigration that is difficult to ignore. “I heard this once,” he writes, “When immigrants came to America, they thought the streets would be paved with gold. But when they got here they realized 3 things: 1. The streets were not paved with gold 2. The streets were not paved at all 3. They were the ones expected to do the paving.”
Later, he states that true evil is not the kids who beat him up or the office workers who spoke to his mother like a child even though she spoke many languages and was a doctor. The truest form of evil, he says, is all of the things bystanders leave undone; all of the kindness that could have been given that was replaced with excuses. As I read these words, I came to realize that this is not a book one is simply meant to read. It is a book meant to inspire in us the need to take action. This is a book that begs us to ask ourselves “Have I too been a bystander? Have I contributed to the truest form of evil?”
When I first picked up this book, I had no idea it would contain such profound Christian truths, rooted in the story of Nayeri’s family fleeing their country to escape religious persecution. As I poured over the pages of this book, I could not help but re-examine my own preconceived notions of what we call “justice.” As I read the story of Nayeri’s family, I found myself thinking “How is this justice?” As Nayeri shared about his family’s journey of coming to the Christian faith, he concludes that “Love is empty without Justice. Justice is cruel without love. And sometimes, like Sima [Nayeri’s mother], you get neither. Oh, and in case it wasn’t obvious, the answer is both. God should be both. If a god isn’t, that is no God.” Nayeri begs us to re-examine what it means to seek justice in our society.
A good story is one that makes us feel something, but a great story is one that calls us to action. Nayeri’s “Everything Sad is Untrue: (A True Story)” is a beautifully crafted novel. It is not an easy read, not because it isn’t well written, but because it begs its readers to walk a mile in the shoes of someone who has walked a difficult path and dares to see a new way forward.
“Everything Sad is Untrue: (A True Story)” review
Daniel Nayeri’s “Everything Sad is Untrue: (A True Story)” tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who came to the United States after experiencing life as a refugee. He recounts his struggle of forgetting the home that he came from while trying to preserve his culture as a fundamental piece of who he is.
The book is written in a non-linear fashion with no chapters. The author weaves Persian myths into his own personal story, an integral part of Nayeri’s culture. While some may find this form of storytelling difficult to follow, I found it to be quite refreshing. The unconventional writing style served the story well because it is being told from the perspective of a 12-year-old child whose memories are difficult to sort through. This method of storytelling complemented the book’s focus and further showed the ways that Nayeri’s life felt mixed up.
So often, we see stories about immigrants presented by popular media that fail to include the voices of real-life individuals who have migrated. Daniel’s story provides a perspective on immigration that is difficult to ignore. “I heard this once,” he writes, “When immigrants came to America, they thought the streets would be paved with gold. But when they got here they realized 3 things: 1. The streets were not paved with gold 2. The streets were not paved at all 3. They were the ones expected to do the paving.”
Later, he states that true evil is not the kids who beat him up or the office workers who spoke to his mother like a child even though she spoke many languages and was a doctor. The truest form of evil, he says, is all of the things bystanders leave undone; all of the kindness that could have been given that was replaced with excuses. As I read these words, I came to realize that this is not a book one is simply meant to read. It is a book meant to inspire in us the need to take action. This is a book that begs us to ask ourselves “Have I too been a bystander? Have I contributed to the truest form of evil?”
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When I first picked up this book, I had no idea it would contain such profound Christian truths, rooted in the story of Nayeri’s family fleeing their country to escape religious persecution. As I poured over the pages of this book, I could not help but re-examine my own preconceived notions of what we call “justice.” As I read the story of Nayeri’s family, I found myself thinking “How is this justice?” As Nayeri shared about his family’s journey of coming to the Christian faith, he concludes that “Love is empty without Justice. Justice is cruel without love. And sometimes, like Sima [Nayeri’s mother], you get neither. Oh, and in case it wasn’t obvious, the answer is both. God should be both. If a god isn’t, that is no God.” Nayeri begs us to re-examine what it means to seek justice in our society.
A good story is one that makes us feel something, but a great story is one that calls us to action. Nayeri’s “Everything Sad is Untrue: (A True Story)” is a beautifully crafted novel. It is not an easy read, not because it isn’t well written, but because it begs its readers to walk a mile in the shoes of someone who has walked a difficult path and dares to see a new way forward.