Best Nonfiction Finalist, Stanford University– William Saroyan International Prize. One of 30 Moving memoirs every student should read. –OnlineCollege Iran, 1960s. Amidst the rubble of his parents’ divorce, a boy wanders the streets of Mashhad, seeking solace and belonging. As desolation closes in, he dreams of an impossible radiant future awaiting beyond the horizon. In a fateful turn, a chance encounter with a wise teen transforms his life. Prepare for an emotional journey as this gripping memoir unfolds. Each page reveals the human spirit’s astonishing resilience, even in the darkest times. Solacers beautifully captures how we each hold the power to illuminate our lives if we dare to hope. This poignant autobiography will imprint itself on your heart and remind you that no matter how broken, with faith and vision, a brighter tomorrow is always within reach. The boy’s relationship with any one of the people in his life would be the stuff of awards-nominated novels and Oscar-bait films.–Anthony R. Cardno, Author. He was neither an orphan nor a street kid but life dealt him such a hand that now, those who hear the story of his childhood in Iran, consider him an Oliver Twist in the streets of Mashhad.–BBC If you devoured “The Glass Castle,” vividly remember “Angela’s Ashes,” and were fascinated by “Destined to Witness,” if you loved the colorful descriptions, the oriental storytelling, and the ornate language of Khaled Hosseini’s “The Kite Runner,” you will definitely get your money’s worth reading “Solacers,” by the American author Arion Golmakani.–J. Brocker, Westfälische Nachrichten. Congratulation on writing such a first-class book.–Ehsan Yarshater, Author of Encyclopedia Iranica, founder, and director of The Center for Iranian Studies, and Emeritus Professor of Iranian Studies at Colombia University. A story of hope, determination, and forgiveness, Solacers is a remarkable tale of resilience and optimism, with lessons for us all. Golmakani gives voice to children everywhere who long for nurturing and hunger for security. –Hans J. Massaquoi, retired managing editor of Ebony Magazine and the author of the best-selling book, Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany.