Crooked Teeth by Danny Ramadan

"Writing this memoir is a betrayal." So begins this electrifying personal account from Danny Ramadan, a celebrated novelist who has long enjoyed the shield his fiction provides. Now, to tell the story of his life, he must revisit dark corners of his past he'd rather forget and unearth memories of a city he can no longer return to.

Starting with his family's humble beginnings in Damascus, he takes readers on an epic, border-crossing journey: to the city's underground network of queer safe homes; to a clandestine party at a secluded villa in Cairo; through Arab Spring uprisings across the Middle East, a reckless hoax that threatens the safety of Syria'sLGBTQ+ community, and a traumatic six-week imprisonment; to beaches and sunsets with friends in Beirut; to an arrival in Vancouver that's not as smooth as it promised to be; and ultimately to a life of hard-won comfort and love.

What emerges is a powerful refutation of the oversimplified refugee narrativea book that holds space for joy alongside sorrow, for nuance and complicated ambivalences. Written with fearless intimacy,Crooked Teethis a singular achievement in which a master storyteller learns that his greatest story is his own.(From Penguin Canada)

• Danny Ramadan gets raw and real in his memoir Crooked Teeth read an excerpt now
• 26 works of Canadian nonfiction coming out in spring 2024

Danny Ramadan is a Vancouver-based Syrian-Canadian author and advocate. His debut novelThe Clothesline Swingwas longlisted forCanada Readsand his second novelThe Foghorn Echoeswon a Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction.

Interviews with Danny Ramadan

North by Northwest13:20Syrian-Canadian author Danny Ramadan on his new children's book "Salma Writes A Book"

Syrian-Canadian author Danny Ramadan joins NXNW to talk about his latest children's book "Salma Writes A Book." The plot follows a young Salma as she tries to understand what it means to be a big sister, and explores issues of diversity and inclusion - as well as how relatives contend with diversity within their families.

12:48Danny Ramadan recommends his top three books on culture shock

TNC columnist Danny Ramadan finds three books that give you insight into culture shock.

The Next Chapter19:11Danny Ramadan on The Foghorn Echoes

Danny Ramadan talks to Shelagh Rogers about his novel, The Foghorn Echoes.

The Next Chapter13:36Syrian-Canadian writer and LGBTQ activist Danny Ramadan on forbidden love and finding home. (Encore: September 09, 2022)

Shelagh Rogers interviews Danny Ramadan about his second novel, The Foghorn Echoes. It won the 2022 Lambda Literary Award for gay fiction.

The journey from Syria to Canada

9 years ago

Duration 5:06

Danny Ramadan fled war-torn Syria in 2011, and eventually came to Vancouver in September 2014

The Next Chapter8:07Danny Ramadan on Salma The Syrian Chef

Danny Ramadan on his first children's book, Salma The Syrian Chef, illustrated by Anna Bron, which he launched on Twitter.

Other books by Danny Ramadan