Thursday, August 21, 2008

Funny in Farsi


After finishing such a heavy read earlier in the week, I picked up "Funny in Farsi" by Firoozeh Dumas. This book is a gem! I found myself up till 2am last night trying to finish it. It is worth the sleep-dep. To sum it up-- it is the memoir of an Iranian woman growing up in America. The way she interpreted and saw American culture through the lenses of her own experience and her family's are just priceless. She moved to the U.S. when she was in 2nd grade and is now a permanent resident, married to a Frenchman, with two kids, living in California-- so this book spans from the 1970s to today. Chapter after chapter she writes about the hilarious esapades of immigrants trying to figure out and appreciate America. This book is so worth your time if you want to instigate a perspective shift in your own mind about what the foreigner's experience is like as they try to adjust and live in this "great" land of ours. Ohhh, and get ready to laugh!

2 comments:

sophie said...

Hi Anna,

So glad you enjoyed FUNNY IN FARSI. Thank you for sharing it with your readers.
I am coming to speak in Texas for a conference in November. If it's near you, come by! Info is on my website www.firoozehdumas.com
I also have a new book, LAUGHING WITHOUT AN ACCENT.

Thanks again,
Firoozeh

Taline said...

Anna - Thanks for the suggestion. I'm still reading Allende's Sum of Our Days, but I'll dive into this one next.