Funny in Farsi

A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America

By: Firoozeh Dumas

Narrated by: Firoozeh Dumas

Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1972, when she was seven, Firoozeh Dumas and her family moved from Iran to Southern California, arriving with no firsthand knowledge of this country beyond her father's glowing memories of his graduate school years here.

In a series of deftly drawn scenes Funny in Farsi chronicles the American journey of Dumas' wonderfully engaging family: her engineer father, a sweetly quixotic dreamer who first sought riches on Bowling for Dollars and in Las Vegas; her elegant mother, who never fully mastered English (nor cared to); her uncle, who combated the effects of American fast food with an army of miraculous American weight-loss gadgets; and Firoozeh herself, who as a girl changed her name to Julie, and who encountered a second wave of culture shock when she met and married a Frenchman, becoming part of a one-couple melting pot.

An unforgettable story of identity, discovery, and the power of family love, Funny in Farsi will leave us all laughing without an accent.

©2003 Firoozeh Dumas (P)2004 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Finalist, Biography/Memoir, 2005
• Thurber Prize Finalist, 2005

"Often hilarious, always interesting....Like the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, this book describes with humor the intersection and overlapping of two cultures." (The Providence Journal)
"A humorous and introspective chronicle of a life filled with love, of family, country, and heritage." (Jimmy Carter)

Entertaining

A fun and enjoyable read! A wonderful memoir with humor and heart as Firoozeh recounts her family’s experiences as immigrants to America.

Entertaining and Enjoyable

This is a great read when you want to listen to something lighthearted. The author has a gift for humor and describing her family. She was open and honest about her life. I found it a great diversion. As a narrator, she did a great job.

The melting pot, next generation

I am on a quest to read memoirs, and my search through Audible turned up this one, which I had not heard of before, but based on the blurb, thought it would be interesting. I met my first Persian in 1965, a fellow student at the University of Wisconsin, and when he told me he was Persian, I didn't know where it was, or what it meant. He was a sweet, gentle person, and while I know it was wrong of me to judge an entire nation by this one encounter, his charm certainly disposed me kindly towards his country. Now 40+ years later, I have met my second Persian, and based on my experience listening to this memoir, I am happy to say my first impression was correct. Firoozeh's voice and story make me feel like I know her, and share her experience. And I see in her story an updated version of what it must have been like for my own grandparents to come here from a foreign land, and try to make their way in the cauldron of America.

While her humor is often not "laugh out loud" it was "funny" in the sense of irony, observation of the misunderstandings that take place between people of different origins. And frankly, one of the best things about it was to remind me that people, underneath the cloaks of different names and accents, are actually the same. Laughter is a great reminder of that universal connection.

Insightful, witty and funny

It reminds me of Amy Tan in the sense that her story, though factual, is one filled with cultural nuances that sometimes go unnoticed to the mainstream, but when revealed in the author's special way, they are humorous but not at all mean-spirited. It's a sweet story of the love of her family and the people she meets along the way... and growing up, just a little bit different than those around you. And I love her voices for her characters! Reminds me of my family some - though not Iranian, but Japanese.

cute, easy listening

I thought the memoir was the equivalent of a good "formula" sit-com, offering some insight for the listener into the immigration experience along with some laughs, but I was left at the end wondering if it had been worth the listening time. One reviewer mentioned that she listened with her family while driving - might be a perfect choice for a situation like that.

Farsi-cal

I found the story entertaining and often amusing. It made me wonder about the experiences of other immigrant families, and if many (or how many?) of them would have the seemingly positive, light-hearted spin that this narrative offered?

Contrary to other reviews, I found Ms. Dumas to be a more accomplished writer/humorist than narrator ... I found her voice and inflection to be immature, squeaky, over-done. Reminded me of listening to an average middle- or high-school recitation.

Enjoyable

As a white American, born in the USA and several generations removed from anyone in my family having been an immigrant, it was a funny & enjoyable story to listen to. I fear the story wouldn't be quite the same if written by a Muslim moving to the US now instead of the 1970's - there's just so much more hatred and targeting of Muslims and perceived-to-be-Muslims these days.
This was an easy listen and enjoyable. I now want to be able to wish my Iranian co-worker "Sale No Mobarak", or Persian Happy New Year.

Entertaining

it is a sweet story that made me laugh. if you came from or know an immigrant family, of any culture, there are some common themes that you will enjoy

Hi, "Dad!"

Your daughter's book and narration were both excellent. She is very witty and I found the book to be both entertaining and informative. I'll be looking forward to her next one!

Timely listen

This could have been written today. A relevant perspective on religion and prejudice, with wonderful, self deprecating humor throughout. I especially enjoy when memoirs are narrated by the author- makes it so personal.