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)

Odd title

The title didn’t match what I thought that the book would be, but what did I know wavier what it would be? I enjoyed the stories in this book very much!

Very Intertaining

What made the experience of listening to Funny in Farsi the most enjoyable?

I loved the fact that it was read by the author. She did a wonderful job!

The Lighter Side of Middle Easteners

Finally, a book that gives you a lighter side of what it is like for someone to come from a Middle Eastern country and live in United States. It really made me realize things that I take for granted that others find strange and unusual. This book not only gives those differences but presented in a very comical way that does make you laugh out loud. I would highlyrecommend this book for anyone that wants to just sit back and have a good laugh and not only laugh at what they went through but laugh at yourself because some of things we do a pretty silly too.

Enjoyed

I often read books full of dull facts, don't know why I just do. I am glad I stepped away from one more dull fact filled book and took the time to listen to this enjoyable and fun book.

While enjoying myself with the authors humor, I was painlessly learning about the Iranian culture. Of course I came to respect and love her dad.

entertaining and touching - a great read

loved this book. the author is vulnerable enough to feel intimate but the stories are full of relatable humorous twists.

Must read

This book is so funny. Great book for the whole family to listen to in a road trip.

Delightful and funny

I discovered this title in a used book store and quickly found it on Audible. I love memoirs read by the author. Firoozeh did not disappoint.

Enjoyable in English

I wouldn't call this a memoir but rather a series on interconnected personal essays, all of which were interesting. She's my age, lives in CA so I found the American cultural references of her childhood in CA relatable.

I expected it would be a story focused the author, but her father usually takes center stage and all other characters were bit characters or extras. She does address the fact that the stories mostly end up being about her father.

The most interesting essays were the more serious ones with some historical context about Iran, such as the hostage crisis, oil, etc.

Amazing!

Amazing story, narration and characters. You'll fall in love with her family, culture and humor.

This book has reignited my love for America

As an immigrant raising my kids in this country sometimes I question my decision, think about the sacrifices I have made to come to this country but this book has made me realize how much this country has given me. Her father’s and family‘s desire and assimilation into this country is so adorable. I am impressed by authors ability to recall memories of her childhood so vividly. Love this book and I’m going to read listen to other books too.