Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
Review:
Near the beginning of Daniel Nayeri’s autobiographical work, Everything Sad Is Untrue, the author writes: “Let’s agree to have a complicated conversation.” Then he proceeds with a harrowing, confrontational, and poignant tale. The story regards his family’s escape from religious persecution in Iran, but it is also about myth and memory, survival and dignity, suffering, and the effort to transform suffering into something meaningful. The target audience consists of 7th to 12th graders—especially those who might be interested in immigrant narratives or Persian culture. Some readers may be put off by the book’s occasional cynicism and brutality—there is a surprising amount of blood and excrement within its pages—but others may be drawn to its unique blend of unsentimental realism and mythology.
The text is laden with observations that are more penetrating and dark than one might expect from a work of young adult literature. Here are some examples:
“The rich never forget the social order.”
“Your happiest memories can become your saddest.”
“We are always choosing situations that hurt us.”
But for all the darkness in Everything Sad, moments of beauty and comedy cut through. Nayeri’s chief goal is to bind himself to his readers by their mutual humanity, which he accomplishes through passages like this:
“Reading is the act of listening and speaking at the same time, with someone you’ve never met, but love . . . it’s a loving thing to do. You speak someone else’s words to yourself, and hear them for the first time.”
One cannot help but develop enormous affection and sympathy for the author because he has a way of speaking to the deepest parts of a person. After reading these lines, I had to put the book down and stare into space for a while—giving myself time to process things before allowing Nayeri to continue.
Nayeri structures his story in a way that resembles One Thousand and One Nights, and he frequently compares himself to the character Scheherazade, who is the storyteller within the Nights’ frame narrative. Like in the Nights, the stories that comprise Everything Sad are arranged discursively, with one story free-associating into the next. The plot moves back and forth through several distinct settings as it builds toward its climax. While this structure might be too challenging for some readers, the final product is a book with excellent pacing and comedic timing. In addition, the structure allows Nayeri to balance his light and dark moments so that its darkness does not become too oppressive.
Everything Sad is Untrue punches above its weight. In other words, it is more complex, sophisticated, and challenging than one might expect from a book aimed at young adults. I cannot give it a blanket recommendation to all readers, but I would enthusiastically recommend it to those who yearn to experience something that is both advanced and profound.
Biography:
Daniel (Khosrou) Nayeri was born in Iran and spent most of his childhood in that country. Prior to immigrating to the United States, Nayeri and his family spent several years as refugees in Italy—Nayeri’s mother had fled Iran with her children after she was targeted for her Christianity. Daniel, his sister, and his mother arrived in Oklahoma when Daniel was just eight years old. Ten years later, he received a scholarship to attend NYU, where he joined their prestigious writing program. He also worked at a publishing agency during his time at NYU, which allowed him to learn the ins and outs of publishing at the same time as he was exposed to many novels—which prompted him to write his own.
Nayeri describes his mother as his hero, and he also has an amazing relationship with his sister, Dina. The siblings wrote The Marlowe School books with one another. This series is set within a New York City private school. Following that series, Nayeri prioritized writing his own collection of novels geared towards young adult readers. These include the Another series, the Elixir Fixer series, and Straw House, Wood House, Brick House, Blow. His award-winning novel, Everything Sad Is Untrue, is told from the perspective of his twelve-year-old self, who must navigate life as an Iranian refugee in a primarily white community. Nayeri decided to write and publish the novel following the death of his grandfather in order to preserve the few lingering memories of he had of him.
Nayeri is currently working on a middle-grade novel set in the 11th century on the silk road trade route. He hopes to continue his writing career, and has signed a contract with Odd Dot publishing. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and eight-year-old son.
Resources:
This video regarding One Thousand and One Nights offers students a glimpse into the myth, so that they may understand the connections Nayeri weaves throughout the novel. Additionally, students enjoy watching videos, which are often more engaging than articles or books.
This article from IranChristians.org is relevant because of the persecution Nayeri’s family endures as a consequence of their religious beliefs. This website provides insight into the history of Christianity in Iran during the 1980’s. If students understand this history, they may better understand Nayeri’s novel.
This article regarding toilets in Iran helps students understand what they look like and how they work—so when Nayeri describes them, students will have an easier time picturing them. The article also introduces some cultural diversity into the classroom by discussing foreign customs.
This map of Iran shows provinces in different colors and helps students get an idea of the country's geography and political boundaries. The colored-coded provinces help students memorize major locations within Iran, and show where Nayeri’s family came from.
This academic article from the University of Masshad explores Iran's sheep and goat industry. Sheep and shepherds feature in Everything Sad, and this article reveals some amazing facts. Notably, when Nayeri was young he wanted to be a shepherd. A pivotal moment in the novel involves Nayeri leaving a plush sheep behind while his family runs for their lives.
This guide for teaching the Arabian Nights (AKA One Thousand and One Nights) offers lesson-plans and activities to help familiarize students with with the text. It is built around the Norton edition of the Nights, and it covers context and theory (specifically Edward Said's work on Orientalism) to guide teachers and students in their approach.
The recipe from I Got it From my Maman describes how to make fesenjoon—which is a chicken and walnut-pomegranate dish that Nayeri refers to in his novel. Nayeri writes that many people in Oklahoma do not care for this dish, but he loves it. This article may help teachers describe the dish to students, or even prepare it.
This guide describes the trauma that refugee children experience and suggests ways that teachers may help their students. Nayeri was a refugee and, in coming to America, faced many challenges and suffered many traumas. It is important for all children to know their worth—and teachers can help by welcoming refugee children and helping them adjust to their new homes.
Instructional Activity:
Preview:
This lesson is geared toward students in an ELA classroom in high school. It is structured around using the novel as an avenue to teach students about linguistic style and the importance of narrative voice in literature. The lesson will begin with having the students attempt to analyze the stylistic elements of Everything Sad Is Untrue, and come up with ideas as to why the distinct narrative voice is valuable within the book in the first place. For the main activity, the students will be asked to seek out a prominent story or fairy tale from any region of the world and write a short story about an important event in their lives whilst trying to emulate the style of their selected work—just as Nayeri spends the book emulating the style of One Thousand and One Nights.
California Common Core Standards:
[CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.5]
Analyze how an author's choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text (e.g., the choice of where to begin or end a story, the choice to provide a comedic or tragic resolution) contribute to its overall structure and meaning as well as its aesthetic impact.
[CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.3]
Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.
[CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.9-10.4]
Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the language evokes a sense of time and place; how it sets a formal or informal tone).
Activity Resources and Preparation:
The only preparation needed for this part of the lesson is creating the lecture on style. The main ideas that are absolutely necessary to cover within the lecture are down below, but instructors are encouraged to add more information where they see fit. Additionally, instructors may want to consider these resources as instructional aids:
While this video focuses on The Catcher and the Rye, it offers an incredible example of how to meaningfully analyze the style in a piece of literature. The video is brief, and includes John Green, thus it will likely keep the attention of and be interesting for students of this age range.
This website offers some key points to focus on when analyzing style. Instructors are encouraged to refresh themselves on these basic principles and pass the information on to their pupils.
Instructional Plan:
Warm-Up
Begin with a pre-quiz or conversation-quiz that asks questions about specific cultural, national, or confusing or underrepresented topics that may be unfamiliar to students. Specifically with Everything Sad is Untrue, ask questions regarding the students' understanding of the Muslim faith, Iranian storytelling and customs, and misconceptions about the East.
Pose two or more questions for each of these bullet points:
- How do the words Islam and Muslim refer to different things?
- What is a Fatwa? How serious is it?
- How do Middle Eastern immigrants experience discrimination in American schools?
- What countries make up the Middle East?
- What are their significant differences?
Main Activity
This section of the lesson begins with a lecture on what style and voice are in the context of literature. To do this, the instructor must create a PowerPoint presentation touching on these points:
- What is literary style?
- What are the elements of style?
- Include brief introductions to tone, narrative pace, diction, point-of-view, and syntax
- Why is style important in literature?
- In what ways is the style of Everything Sad Is Untrue distinct?
- Include a discussion of how Nayeri distinguishes his work from other memoirs by emulating the structure of an already culturally significant body of work
After the lecture, ask students to search for their own culturally significant literary work—be it a fairy tale, another novel, or even a well-written film—and then dissect the style of that work through a more-informed lens. Once students have completed this task, introduce the main assignment, which is to write a short story about an impactful moment within the student’s life using the style of the work they previously selected. The length of the short story is up to the instructor’s discretion, however, the piece should be at least one page long, double-spaced, so that students have enough room to develop style through each literary mechanism mentioned in the lecture.
Bibliography:
Goddu, Krystyna P. "Q & A with Daniel Nayeri." Publishers Weekly, Publishers Weekly, 6 Aug. 2020, www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/84030-q-a-with-daniel-nayeri.html.
Nayeri, Daniel. Daniel Nayeri, www.danielnayeri.com.
Khuri, Ronny. "The Booklist Printz Interview:
Daniel Nayeri." Booklist, Booklist, 15 Mar. 2021,
www.booklistonline.com/The-Booklist-Printz-Interview-Daniel-Nayeri-Khuri-Ronny/pid=9745850?_zs=rqhIj1&_zl=EMMS7.
