#39 - Funny in Farsi by Firoozeh Dumas
Read for: June Avid Reader Book Club
Purchased from: the Avid Reader
My Rating: 6 out of 10
Synopsis (from School Library Journal): Adult/High School-Dumas first came to the U.S. from Iran in the early '70s when her father was sent to California on a two-year contract from the National Iranian Oil Company. Her family soon discovered that his presumed skill in English was basically limited to "vectors, surface tension and fluid mechanics." In short, humorous vignettes, the author recounts their resulting difficulties and Americans' almost total ignorance of Iran, illustrating the kindness of people and her father's absolute love of this country.
My Review: Funny in Farsi was a light read but as I read it while Tehran is in complete upheavel, it was very strange to have two completely different ideas about Iran at the same time. Dumas only lightly touched upon the Iranian revolution and the rest of the memoir is incredibly light. Not that I mind light, but it just felt...off. Anyway, I've already heard some of my book club members avidly (heh) argue that Dumas is mean to her father (they started reading it before last book club -- cheaters). I didn't really get that at all. Her father was from a different world and she expertly showed the clash between his culture and typical American culture, and the results were very funny and often had life lessons behind them. I do wish, however, that the book had been a little more organized -- I wasn't sure how old she was sometimes and it sort of skipped around in a confusing way. But overall it was a amusing little book that I recommend if you need to escape for a little while. (Finished 6/7/09)
