• Funny in Farsi

  • A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America
  • By: Firoozeh Dumas
  • Narrated by: Firoozeh Dumas
  • Length: 5 hrs and 40 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (2,081 ratings)

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Funny in Farsi  By  cover art

Funny in Farsi

By: Firoozeh Dumas
Narrated by: Firoozeh Dumas
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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)

What listeners say about Funny in Farsi

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  • Overall
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Funny and heartwarming

A book that endears you to the author's family and world. An appropriate title that broad emotions that come from growing up immigrant and navigating the world.

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Must read

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

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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.

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Absolutely worth reading!

Not only is this book filled with hilarious anecdotes, it is full of touching moments in the life of an immigrant family. We are a nation of immigrants. No matter when our families came to America, we all had to adjust. This is the story of one such Iranian family. Can’t wait to recommend this to all of our Iranian friends!

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Such a fun read!

I enjoyed every minute of this. So fun! I have a big family with lots of characters and it reminded me of them.

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Entertaining

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

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Greetings to Firoozeh’s parents.

Thank you Firoozeh for a fun and fascinating introduction to your family and the Iranian culture in America. You made me laugh, and for that you deserve a goat to be slaughtered!

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Fun stories

I love the vulnerability and authenticity of this work. The author did an amazing job narrating her work.

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Awesome

Great story! I really enjoyed listening to this book. It is really funny and very well preformed.

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Loved it

Okay, I started out having to read this book for an assignment. I. Loved. It.
It’s so funny and the stories that she tells and the way that she tells them are amazing. I normally hate reading books so I procrastinated until the last minute. I sat down and listened to the whole thing in a day. 100% would recommend this book if you’re looking for something entertaining!

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