Solacers

He had no home to return to.
No certainty to rely on.
No one coming back for him.
What he had instead were moments—brief, unexplainable acts of mercy—that kept him alive.
Raised without doctrine and guided by chance, Solacers is a deeply moving memoir of survival, displacement, and the quiet forces that shape a life.
Moving through the margins of Iran—from adobe homes and crowded streets to strangers’ doorways and military barracks—Alireza (Arion) Golmakani endures hunger, loss, and uncertainty. He survives not by hardening, but by paying attention.
From selling ice treats in Mashhad to finding refuge in cinema, poetry, and naval discipline, he begins to form an inner compass—one not built on belief, but on awareness.
This is not a story of faith.
It is a story of attention.
A spiritual journey without doctrine—where meaning emerges not from answers, but from survival itself.
Spare, lyrical, and deeply human, Solacers is a memoir of resilience that remains tender—about a life shaped by moments of unexpected grace.
Perfect for readers of Educated and The Glass Castle, and ideal for book clubs drawn to reflective, discussion-rich memoirs.


Best Nonfiction Finalist, Stanford University Libraries, William Saroyan International Prize.

Moving memoirs every student should read. –OnlineCollege



"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." –Joke Brocker, Westfälische Nachrichten 

“Congratulation on writing such a first-class book.” –Dr. Ehsan Yarshater, Author of Encyclopedia Iranica, founder and director of The Center for Iranian Studies, and Emeritus Professor of Iranian Studies at Columbia 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