Shannon's Library

LET’S GET EXCITED ABOUT THIS BOOK!

In 1972, when she was seven years old, Firoozeh and her family moved from Iran to Southern California. They had no firsthand knowledge of this country beyond Firoozeh’s father’s glowing memories of his graduate school years here. In a series of heartwarming, laugh-out-loud stories, “Funny in Farsi” chronicles the journey of Firoozeh’s engaging family and their adjustment to living in the United States. This is an unforgettable story of identity, discovery and the power of family love. “Funny in Farsi” is guaranteed to make you smile!

Shannon’s Rating — PG

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LET’S TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK!

I never intended to write a funny book. It just came out that way. Before I started “Funny in Farsi” I asked my husband one day if I had ever told him the story about the first time I went to summer camp. He said no. So I told him the story and he was laughing so hard that he was crying. I kept saying, “This is not a funny story. This is a sad story.” And he kept shaking his head and saying, “This is the funniest story I’ve ever heard.” And that’s when I realized that sometimes, if you give something thirty years and if no one was hurt, some of life’s less shining moments can be quite funny.

Oh, how glad I am that Firoozeh decided to share the “less shining moments” from her life with us! Not only are they hilarious, but they are also heartwarming, endearing, and utterly charming.

One of the reasons Firoozeh Dumas decided to share these stories of her family with the world was to overcome the many misconceptions people have about Iran. Despite our modern access to information, Dumas thinks that too many people still have ignorant, outdated ideas about Iranians. She wanted to use her humor to illustrate what she calls “our shared humanity” and to show how the Iranian people are more than just what we hear about their government on the news.

While living in Finland over 20 years ago, I had the opportunity to meet an Iranian family. The Shekarak’s were forced to leave Iran due to religious persecution and had been offered a home in Finland. I had never met anyone from Iran before and didn’t know what to expect. What I quickly discovered was a warm and welcoming family. Any time we stopped by, no matter what time of day it was, we were invited into their home to eat. They happily and generously shared their home, their food and their laughter. When I read “Funny in Farsi,” I kept picturing this sweet family in my mind and was reminded, once again, of our “shared humanity.” We are all “citizens of the world,” as Firoozeh likes to say, and “Funny in Farsi” does an excellent job of demonstrating that love, family, and laughter are common to all nations and people. As Firoozeh’s father always told her, “What a waste it is to hate. What a waste.” Love, the very opposite of hate, is the prevailing emotion throughout Firoozeh’s stories and the reason we feel so uplifted while hearing them.

I don’t read a lot of comedic books – hence I don’t find myself laughing out loud very often while reading. But that all changed when I read “Funny in Farsi.” There were times I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. And when I wasn’t laughing, I was most certainly smiling.

If you need a good laugh, or at least a good smile, pick up “Funny in Farsi” and prepare to be cheered up. Your day will be brightened, your heart warmed, and your hope for humanity revived. What more could you ask for in a book?

And, by the way, Firoozeh continues her story in “Laughing Without an Accent.” It’s equally as entertaining and endearing as “Funny in Farsi.” So, if you’re intrigued enough by her life to want to hear more, and why wouldn’t you be, read “Laughing Without an Accent.”

Firoozeh also wrote a middle-grade novel about her early life in America called, “It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel.” I loved it as well! (You’ll probably want to read/buy it just because of the adorable cover…)