30B430 Book 25: Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America

I first heard of Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas, because she will be the Distinguished Lecture Series speaker at UWM at the end of September. Interested in her talk, I figured I would give the book a read first. Or rather, a listen. I got this one on Audible. Kind of fun, since now I have a sense of how Dumas will speak.

Dumas and her family moved to Whittier, CA from Iran in the 70s, and this book is a collection of her humorous reflections growing up in an immigrant family, navigating identity and culture. 

I definitely found this book funny, especially Dumas' descriptions of her parents' love of free samples, her experience learning to swim, and the challenges of being Muslim during the Christmas season.  There is some reflection on the Iranian Revolution, although she lightly touches on them, as compared to some other books

It is a very fast book, if you are looking for a quick read (or listen). Each chapter is more like a short essay. I look forward to hearing more from Dumas later this month!