Funny In Farsi

The chapter begins with the Shah’s 1977 visit to Washington. Dumas’s parents, supporters of the Shah, decide to make the trip from California to go see him. While at the hotel in Washington, the family receives threatening letters. Also, the environment surrounding the Shah’s appearance is highly politically charged, and there are outbreaks of violence. Led by Kazem, the family escapes the fighting and accidentally winds up on a tour bus. They pay the fare and, by happenstance, are taken to see the many sights in and around the capital. When they return to the hotel, another letter is shoved under their door, this one involving a bomb threat. Kazem immediately removes his family from the hotel, and they return to California.

Dumas chronicles her father’s 33-year employment history at the National Iranian Oil Company and the subsequent challenges he faced in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. He was granted early retirement from the company, confident that he could secure comparable work in the US. Things did not work out the way he planned: Iran’s currency devaluation means that, at best, his “monthly pension” can buy a few meals out in America, and he faces discrimination in the US as retaliation against his Iranian nationality.