Books like Everything Sad Is Untrue

A sprawling tapestry of memory that weaves middle-school awkwardness with ancient Persian myth to keep the darkness at bay. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with Everything Sad Is Untrue.

nostalgic
bittersweet
intimate
wondrous

01
Darius the Great is not okay
Adib Khorram
A tender, tea-steeped exploration of diaspora, depression, and the quiet magic of being truly seen by a friend.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- intimate
- earnest
02
The Boy at the Back of the Class
Onjali Q Raúf
A big-hearted, earnest exploration of empathy that proves you do not need to be a grown-up to change the world.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- earnest
03
Kiss the dust
Elizabeth Laird · 1991
An earnest and poignant exploration of a family's sudden displacement, capturing the tense reality of leaving home for an unknown future.
Shares:
- earnest
- poignant
04
The Bone Sparrow
Zana Fraillon
A heartbreaking yet deeply hopeful exploration of how imagination and friendship can carve out light in the darkest of confinements.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- earnest
- poignant
- power of storytelling
05
Very Large Expanse of Sea
Tahereh Mafi
A fiercely guarded heart learns to navigate the armor of prejudice and the terrifying vulnerability of first love.
Shares:
- nostalgic
- bittersweet
- earnest
06
No Fixed Address
Susin Nielsen
A heartfelt and anxious middle-grade journey about carrying adult-sized secrets and hoping for a trivia-powered miracle.
Shares:
- earnest
07
Persepolis 1-4
Marjane Satrapi · 2007
A fiercely intimate, darkly funny, and deeply moving portrait of growing up rebellious in a world turned upside down.
Shares:
- nostalgic
- bittersweet
- intimate
- poignant
08
It's Kind of a Funny Story
Ned Vizzini
A candid, surprisingly funny exploration of teenage depression and the unexpected moments of light found within a psychiatric hospital.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- earnest
- humorous
09
When Stars Are Scattered
Victoria Jamieson
A tender, deeply humanizing graphic memoir about holding onto hope and each other when the world leaves you waiting.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- earnest
10
Name Jar
Yangsook Choi · 2001
A tender and affirming exploration of holding onto who you are when everything around you is new.
Shares:
- earnest
11
Other Words for Home
Jasmine Warga
A tender, lyrical exploration of leaving everything behind and finding the courage to take up space in a brand-new world.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- earnest
- cultural displacement
12
Refugee
Alan Gratz
A heart-in-your-throat survival story that weaves across time to show the terrifying, hopeful reality of searching for a safe harbor.
Shares:
- earnest

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