Bingo: I am counting this book for the “Diaspora” space on my bingo, since it centers on the author’s experience as a member of the Iranian diaspora.
This was a memoir covering Firoozeh Dumas’ life, from her family’s move from Iran to California when she was 7, up through her teenage years and young adulthood. She writes about her experiences with American food (hot dogs are pretty gross, if you think about it), her family vacations to American tourist sites, her disastrous stint at summer camp, and her disappointing semester abroad in Paris. Her parents are major characters in these stories, especially her dad. Kazem, Dumas’ father, loves American culture. He adores grocery store samples, and loves American TV, even competing on a bowling-themed game show. Dumas’ portrays him as a warm and quirky man, brimming with kindness and love for his family.
This book was a sweet portrayal of Dumas’ experience as an immigrant growing up in the United States. While she doesn’t shy away from calling out those who were less than welcoming, she has a mostly positive view of American culture. She also acknowledges that because her family migrated in the early 70s, her experiences were very different than those of Iranians who came over closer to the time of the Iran hostage crisis and the Iranian revolution. This book was published in 2003, and I would be interested to hear her updated take on more recent anti-Islamic sentiment in the United States and how that has affected her and her family. This book was gently humorous, though not really laugh-out-loud funny. It was a quick, fun, read from a perspective I was unfamiliar with.