UX Reads For Fun: The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri

A Tale of Two Siblings

Right on the heels of reading Daniel Nayeri's book Everything Sad is Untrue, I picked up his older sister Dina Nayeri's book The Ungrateful Refugee. Now that I've finished reading her book, I have SO MANY THOUGHTS. 💭

I am so glad I read Daniel and Dina's books back-to-back, starting with Daniel's book. Both books read like memoirs, reflecting on the events of their lives that took them from being children in Iran to becoming refugees in America. Daniel's book is narrated by a child version of himself, providing a unique perspective through his innocent eyes. It felt like I was reliving those moments alongside him, viewing the world through the lens of a child.

Moving on to Dina's book was a fascinating transition. Her adult narrative allowed me to revisit those same events with the knowledge and experience of an adult. It was like looking back on those experiences with a newfound depth and understanding. Dina delves into the past, offering a deeper exploration of the complexities they faced and how those early experiences shaped their lives into adulthood.

Reading the books together as a pair also really highlighted the progression from childhood innocence to adult reflection. The juxtaposition between their storytelling styles highlighted the complexity of memory. Daniel and Dina often discuss the same events, but their memories sometimes differ, revealing how our recollections can be subjective and influenced by our perspectives. It also mimicked how our understanding of events can change as we grow and gain new perspectives.

In addition to her personal stories, Dina also explores other refugee experiences within her memoir, offering an academic lens on topics such as refugee camps, asylum, and assimilation. It adds another layer of insight to her narrative while also showcasing how the refugee experience is so diverse as refugees navigate an ever-changing landscape.

These memoirs have reminded me of the transformative power of literature and the incredible ability of books to transport us to different worlds and perspectives. 📚🌎 If you're looking for a meaningful and thought-provoking read, I highly recommend diving into these remarkable memoirs!

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Related Links:

• Buy your copy of The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri

• Buy your copy of Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

• Check out Dina Nayeri’s NPR interview

• Check out Daniel Nayeri’s NPR interview

UX Reads for Fun: Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

Memory Through a Child’s Eyes

I recently read Everything Sad is Untrue: A True Story, an impactful memoir written by Iranian American author and refugee, Daniel Nayeri. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a powerful and thought-provoking read. Thank you to Nan Doud for recommending this to me!

As a UX researcher, I'm always eager to expand my perspective and learn from different experiences. Reading about Nayeri's journey has felt at turns both familiar and foreign to me. Being Iranian American, I can relate to many of his experiences but, on the flip side, some of his experiences feel so new and jarring to me. This is the beauty of reading such a personal account of a person's own history tucked into History with a capital H. In a history textbook, you may read one paragraph about the Iranian Revolution of 1979, where the accounts are generalized and factual and lean into what the majority experienced. But it's so impactful to read how that event has affected so many Iranians in so many different ways and changed the trajectory of their lives on a personal level.

Everything Sad is Untrue is a beautiful example of how storytelling can shape our understanding of the world. Nayeri masterfully weaves together his personal story with Iranian mythology and folklore. He captures the elementary school experience as an Iranian American so well; it is probably a very familiar experience for many of us (immigrants and children of immigrants) who grew up feeling Othered and different and out of place amongst our classmates and neighbors. Then, in the next paragraph, he may be telling us bits and pieces from the Persian epic, the Shahnameh. His skillful use of juxtaposition pits the shiny sights, sounds, and smells of his childhood in Iran against the sharp-edged sights, sounds, and smells of his childhood in Ohio against the dreamy sights, sounds, and smells of Iranian folklore. And, as a fellow Iranian American, I also intimately recognize the tragedy of feeling both so close to and so far from our motherland. Nayeri captures this sense of disjointedness so well, and it's a poignant reminder of the importance of preserving and sharing our stories.

Related Links

• Purchase your copy of Daniel’s book here