Funny In Farsi

Firoozeh is the first-person narrator, and much of what she portrays in the memoir involves reflections on her experiences as an Iranian immigrant to the US. She paints herself as a child and an adolescent as highly self-conscious, a trait that her status as an immigrant exacerbates. The first scene of the book, in which she is asked to locate Iran on a map in front of her elementary school class, demonstrates her ambivalence at being the center of attention. She recalls her experience at a summer camp later, where she does everything in her power to isolate herself to avoid attention.

Firoozeh’s sense of humor and her willingness to poke fun at both others and herself give the book its spirit and tone. When she cites the many ways others mistake or misunderstand her name, for example, she is not condemnatory. Instead, she retells the incidents with a lightheartedness, suggesting that even though she has reason to be frustrated, she does not assume nefarious intent from others. She seeks the good in people, like her father does, and holds fast to this principle throughout the book. Her story provides an intimate view of an Iranian immigrant’s experience of learning to navigate the US, particularly during the tensions of the Iranian Revolution and the hostage crisis.