
Firoozeh Dumas' bestselling memoir hilariously chronicles growing up Iranian in America, bridging cultures with universal humor. Endorsed by President Jimmy Carter, featured on Jeopardy, and taught nationwide, it reveals how laughter transcends cultural boundaries. Ever wondered why immigrant stories make the best comedies?
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What does America look like through the eyes of a child who's just left everything familiar behind? For a seven-year-old Iranian girl arriving in 1972 California, it meant the promise of Barbie dolls, colorful cereal boxes, and clean bathrooms her father had raved about. But the reality of Leffingwell Elementary School hit hard and fast. Standing before a classroom map, her mother's trembling fingers searched desperately for Iran while twenty-eight pairs of American eyes watched in silence. The humiliation burned deeper than any language barrier-this was the moment when "different" became real, when the gap between expectation and reality revealed itself in the most public, painful way possible. After school, mother and daughter wandered identical suburban streets for hours, hopelessly lost, until a kind stranger rescued them. This wasn't the Promised Land her father had described; it was something far more complex, challenging, and ultimately transformative. The journey toward belonging had begun, though neither of them knew how long and winding that path would be.
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