One of the Ten Best Books of 2009,
as chosen by Dwight Garner of The New York Times
“[Sayrafiezadeh] is a name you may want to remember… [He writes] with extraordinary power and restraint.”
"When Skateboards Will Be Free is a brave, honest and elegant book. It felt like the story was being whispered in my ear. I haven’t read a memoir in quite a while that has so skillfully made sense of an American childhood."
—Colum McCann, author of Let the Great World Spin, winner of the 2009 National Book Award








