Best Nonfiction Finalist, Stanford University Libraries, William Saroyan International Prize. Solacers is the remarkable true story of a homeless boy growing up in pre-revolution Iran during the 1960s and 70s. "Like a gentle wind, Baba zigzagged through the scattered, early evening traffic. He rode his bicycle with the grace of a nobleman riding on the back of a horse. His upper body remained upright and motionless as he pedaled. Without looking at his legs, it was difficult to tell he was riding a bicycle. Even the frigid winter air that lashed against my numbed face like a leather belt seemed incapable of disturbing his thoughts and bringing him back from wherever they had taken him. Now and then I turned my head around and looked up at him, hoping to catch his glance, but to no avail. Baba's small brown pupils had taken his soul to a horizon far beyond the city structures in front of us. I wondered if he was thinking about me. I wondered if had he had the means to care for me; he would not have gotten rid of me." One of "30 Moving memoirs every student should read." -OnlineCollege "Alireza'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. His childhood could be summarized in two words: Hunger and Forlorn." -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." -Dr. Ehsan Yarshater, Author of Encyclopedia IranicAa, 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 "I confess, when I read the publisher's blurb, my expectations were low. I feared it would be another "escape from Iran" narrative, in which Muslims (or people "from there") featured as the enemies of reason and civilization. How wonderful to be surprised by a story that captured the people you encountered in all their humanity" -Eva Sajoo- Simon Fraser University.