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May 12, 2021

Book Review: Everything Sad is Untrue

Book Cover: Everything Sad is Untrue

The middle grade novel, Everything Sad is Untrue (A True Story), is written by Daniel Nayeri. Daniel was a refugee himself, leaving Iran and coming to Oklahoma at age eight. The book is his story, how he remembers it. Daniel’s story is heart-breaking but beautiful in the same moment. So many difficult and unfair things happen to Daniel and his family, but through it all he is resilient--something he learns from his mother. The way Daniel is treated will remind readers of the value of kindness and will make them think before they judge another for being different. This book is a great opportunity to discuss how we treat others, whether we are kind like some of the characters or whether we are cruel like others. It gives the reader the opportunity to empathize with Daniel’s experiences and is perspective altering. I would recommend it for 5th-grade readers and above. There are mentions of drugs at several points in the story, just to warn sensitive readers.

Why Sharing Books is Important to Me

Reading is something that has brought me joy and helped me relate to others and the world around me throughout my life. I believe that sharing books together is one of the quickest and most effective ways to connect with one another. Sharing books about life experiences can bring us closer even when our experiences are vastly different. On this blog, I share some of my favorite books that help me connect with my refugee friends. I hope as you find out about great books about refugees you and your children will feel a connection with their experiences and recognize that we are all more similar than we realize. I also share books that might help you to teach the children in your sphere of influence more about compassion, tolerance, and kindness as these traits help bring us all a little closer in the world.

What would you do if you had to leave everything behind?

By the end of 2024, more than 123.2 million people worldwide had been forcibly displaced from their homes due to war, persecution, or human rights abuses.

An increase of 7.2 million over 2023, that’s more than 19,619 people every day — roughly one person every 4.4 seconds.

They arrive in refugee camps and other countries, like the US, seeking the one thing they’ve lost: safety.

Fleeing political imprisonment, ethnic violence, religious persecution, gang threats, or war crimes, they come with what little they managed to carry:

Legal papers – if they’re lucky.

A single backpack.

Sometimes a child’s hand in theirs.

They also carry the weight of what they left behind: fractured families, homes they’ll never return to, professions they loved, friends and relatives they may never see again.

They carry loss most of us can’t imagine – but also the truth of what they’ve endured.

At TSOS, we believe stories are a form of justice. When someone shares their experience of forced displacement, they reclaim their voice. And when we amplify that voice – through film, photography, writing, and advocacy – the world listens. Hearts soften. Communities open. Policy begins to shift.

That shift matters. Because when neighbors understand instead of fear…

when lawmakers see people, not politics…

when a teacher knows what her student has survived…

Rebuilding life from the ashes becomes possible.

We’re fighting an uphill battle. In today’s political climate, refugee stories are often twisted or ignored. They’re reduced to statistics, portrayed as national threats, or used to score political points.

The truth – the human, nuanced truth – gets lost, and when it does, we lose compassion.

We are here to share their truth anyway.

At TSOS, we don’t answer to headlines or algorithms. We are guided by a simple conviction: every person deserves to be seen, heard, and welcomed.

Our work is powered by the people we meet — refugees and asylum seekers rebuilding after loss, allies offering sanctuary, and communities daring to extend belonging.

Your support helps us share their stories — and ensure they’re heard where they matter most.

“What ultimately persuaded the judge wasn’t a legal argument. It was her story.”

— Kristen Smith Dayley, Executive Director, TSOS

Will you help us keep telling the truth?

No donation is too small — and it only takes a minute of your time.

Why give monthly?

We value every gift, but recurring contributions allow us to plan ahead and invest more deeply in:

  • New refugee storytelling and advocacy projects
  • Resources to train and equip forcibly displaced people to share their own stories
  • Public education that challenges fear with empathy
  • Local efforts that help communities welcome and integrate newcomers

As our thank-you, monthly supporters receive fewer fundraising messages — and more stories of the impact they’re making possible.

You don’t have to be displaced to stand with those who are.

Can you give today — and help carry these stories forward?

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