Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America

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.

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.

This book was really entertaining and interesting. I was expecting either an "American Dream Come True" or "Shattered American Dream" account, but this was neither. It was actually a very down to earth account of a more than slightly strange situation.

The author's story meanders through normal situations like awful babysitting jobs to completely crazy situations like being stuck in the middle of an Anti-Shah demonstration in Washington D.C.. She's sincere as she details both the good and bad experieces she and her family experienced here.

I didn't think the reader had the right voice for this book - but she was clear and distinct. And if you're looking for an interesting book on life in America through an Immigrant's eyes that won't leave you completely despondant - this is a great choice.

The lives of the author's Iranian immigrant parents and extended family along with her own adventures and misadventures provide more than enough material for each chapter. Lively narration keeps the stories moving along. Beyond the upbeat rendition of the author's personal history, there's a poignant subtext regarding the plight of her native country and what it was like to be an Iranian immigrant in the US in light of the infamous hostage crisis.

Funny wherever you're from or wherever you live. This story cuts across all cultures and makes you laugh from your heart. My entire family has enjoyed listening and more than once. Actually, we found that the voice of the author reading her book was very enjoyable and we look forward to more stories in the future.

I just finished listening to Funny in Farsi and Laughing Without an Accent and I so enjoyed the books, especially the narration, that I just wanted to let people know that these are great books to listen to. Firoozeh's narration adds another layer to the stories and is especially good when she imitates her mother. So many of the stories crossed all cultural lines and I recognised much of the quirkyness described in the books in my own Australian family. I look forward to her next book.

I listened to this hilarious book during my commute to work on the subway, and I caught myself nodding in agreement and laughing out loud almost every morning, only to realize that my sleepy fellow passengers were glaring at me for waking them up! Although I live halfway across the world in Austria, I have had a similar history. The book not only touched me but it also made me realize that life ain't so bad as a multi-cultural adult after all. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what it means to grow up as an immigrant, and to anyone who happens to be one!

I would, because she does a great job of making you "know" her family, and understand what it was like for her growing up. And it is funny.

Its personal quality.

I listened to her second, follow-up book first, and her narration was more relaxed in that one, in this book she sounded a bit strident, so it wasn't as easy to listen to.

Each story was self contained, so I could listen in chunks.

Excellent listen.

An honest, and funny, story of the immigrant experience. At sometime in our personal heritage we've all been there (if not us then our parents, our grandparents, our great-grandparents, our etc) and this is an "every man" story, the 20th century edition.

It is so nice to hear somebody write about a kind family. She does not air dirty laundry. It is a nostalgic look at a life spent in two very different cultures. She does not make one country seem perfect and the other flawed but she seems proud of her Persian heritage and her American citizenship. The thing about this book that is so great because it reminds us that in America we are all descended from immigrants. The blending of cultures is what makes this country great. It is easy to forget that and this book is a treasure.