Crooked Teeth

Reviews

FINALIST FOR THE GOVERNER GENERAL'S LITERARY AWARD FOR NON-FICTION

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 EVERGREEN AWARD

“I take my hat off to Danny Ramadan and his brilliant muses. This is a mesmerizing story of growing up gay in a Muslim Syrian family, of the challenges and joys of finding and creating loving communities, and the miracle not just of physical survival but of an effervescent celebration of the human heart. Once I began reading, I couldn’t stop until the final page. Countless others will be thankful for this raw, idiosyncratic, utterly compelling account of Danny’s long journey home.”
—Lawrence Hill, author of The Illegal
 
“In Crooked Teeth, the reader becomes not just a confidante but a trusted companion in Danny Ramadan’s story. Harrowing yet joyous, bawdy and kind and brilliant, this memoir sings, parties, and grieves in a way that will make you want to hug it and, yes, dance with it.”
—Ann-Marie MacDonald, author of Fayne

“Ramadan reminds us why memoir is so important. This is an engrossing account of one queer man’s journey through a life filled with danger, yes, but also great joy. A beautiful read that adds nuance to the stories of so many refugees.”
—Garrard Conley, author of Boy Erased

“Danny Ramadan’s vigorous prose is poised in that enchanted place between master storytelling and testimonial. Written with the skill of a fiction writer, Crooked Teeth is sweeping and intimate, a memoir of bloody revolution and bear hugs. Danny Ramadan asks if he can trust us with his story. Discover what trust means. Read this book.”
—Kim Echlin, author of Speak, Silence

“Crooked Teeth is a tender invitation into the life and mind of one of Canada’s favourite and most acclaimed authors. Here is a memoir that coaxes as it resists, all through Ramadan’s familiar, luscious, and generative literary voice. First-time readers will no doubt be inspired by his bravery, nimble storytelling, and deft application of craft. Fans of his other work will recognize this book as the homecoming it truly is.”
—Jenny Heijun Wills, author of Older Sister. Not Necessarily Related.

“An elegantly told, candid, and often intriguing personal history, the memoir never fails to edify. The titular ‘queer Syrian refugee,’ Ramadan tells his tale and allows readers to imagine the immense complex uniqueness of every refugee and their history.”
—Vancouver Sun

“[A] poignant, intimate memoir. . . . Crooked Teeth strives to make the world a better, more empathetic, place. You will be a better human being for having read this book.”
—Winnipeg Free Press Expand reviews