Scan barcode
Reviews
Laughing Without an Accent: Adventures of an Iranian American, at Home and Abroad by Firoozeh Dumas
caseykoester39's review against another edition
4.0
Firoozeh's writing is laugh out loud funny and there is something to relate to here for everyone. If you have family, you'll like reading this!
toddtyrtle's review against another edition
4.0
I have loved everything this author has written - even a recent article on pain management. This is no exception. She has a unique perspective, having straddled two different cultures in the midst of changeful times on both sides...
ejmiddleton's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book I'd like to add to "great nursing titles" - i.e. books with short chapters that you look forward to reading but can be easily put down when a baby needs fed. Having not read Funny in Farsi, I can't compare to two texts, but I can say that I wholeheartedly enjoyed this one. It wasn't laugh out loud funny, but Dumas' consistently humorous, erudite observations of the differences between American and immigrant families are wonderful.
My favorite chapter was the one about Christmas - I could just see the whole scene as if I were there.
My favorite chapter was the one about Christmas - I could just see the whole scene as if I were there.
baronessekat's review against another edition
4.0
While I found "Funny in Farsi" funnier, I enjoyed the stories in this installment more enjoyable and ones I could relate to more.
this time we get to experience even more of her personal life, both growing up and after being married, and how she had to deal with Parents from a very different culture than what they were living in. The story of her mother, husband and the bright red bedspread had me giggling to no end. Her realization that Jewish Mothers and Iranian Mothers are the same creature, just separated by religion, classic.
I highly recommend both this and "Funny in Farsi" and at roughly 6 hours each, they are both quick listens.
this time we get to experience even more of her personal life, both growing up and after being married, and how she had to deal with Parents from a very different culture than what they were living in. The story of her mother, husband and the bright red bedspread had me giggling to no end. Her realization that Jewish Mothers and Iranian Mothers are the same creature, just separated by religion, classic.
I highly recommend both this and "Funny in Farsi" and at roughly 6 hours each, they are both quick listens.
jesforeverlostinbooks's review against another edition
4.0
So many delightful stories & nuggets of wisdom! Here are just a few..,
“Ever since we had arrived in the United States, my classmates kept asking me about magic carpets. “They don’t exist,” I always said. I was wrong. Magic carpets do exist, but they are called library cards.”
“This may be the only country where people make fun of the smart kids. Now that’s stupid. I only hope that the engineer who built the bridge I drive across or the nurse who administers our vaccines or the teacher who teaches my kids was a total nerd.”
“He always said that to deny someone an education is not just a crime but a sin, because you are denying that person the opportunity to realize who he or she is meant to be.”
“She realized that in order to find peace, she would have to sacrifice something. After more contemplation, she realized that she would have to sacrifice the anger and resentment.”
“I assume the number one rule in war is “Don’t get to know the enemy.” Glimpses of shared humanity make it so hard to kill others.”
“Ever since we had arrived in the United States, my classmates kept asking me about magic carpets. “They don’t exist,” I always said. I was wrong. Magic carpets do exist, but they are called library cards.”
“This may be the only country where people make fun of the smart kids. Now that’s stupid. I only hope that the engineer who built the bridge I drive across or the nurse who administers our vaccines or the teacher who teaches my kids was a total nerd.”
“He always said that to deny someone an education is not just a crime but a sin, because you are denying that person the opportunity to realize who he or she is meant to be.”
“She realized that in order to find peace, she would have to sacrifice something. After more contemplation, she realized that she would have to sacrifice the anger and resentment.”
“I assume the number one rule in war is “Don’t get to know the enemy.” Glimpses of shared humanity make it so hard to kill others.”
heykellyjensen's review against another edition
3.0
I liked "Funny in Farsi" much better. This seemed a little disorganized and almost a bit more "preachy," which wasn't necessary.
wellington299's review
4.0
Firoozeh boasts that she would be the ideal party guest. She does have a gift of finding common ground with people. Not sure how she pulls it off. But she a warming wit that avoids being nasty. OK, she does take some punches at her family and Lindsay Lohan.
This is a collection of short stories which jump all over the place in time line and subject. Normally, I dislike this format making the pace choppy and shallow. Somehow she delightfully writes her way to something delightful.
Here is my favorite part:
...if empowerment were as simple as being able to show skin, Paris Hilton would be the most enlightened woman in the United States. Having freedom does not automatically mean we all make good choices. Freedom is a rope; some make a ladder out of it and climb out of the box they're put in; some make a noose; and others make a stripper pole."
I would love to host a party with Firoozeh as a guest.
This is a collection of short stories which jump all over the place in time line and subject. Normally, I dislike this format making the pace choppy and shallow. Somehow she delightfully writes her way to something delightful.
Here is my favorite part:
...if empowerment were as simple as being able to show skin, Paris Hilton would be the most enlightened woman in the United States. Having freedom does not automatically mean we all make good choices. Freedom is a rope; some make a ladder out of it and climb out of the box they're put in; some make a noose; and others make a stripper pole."
I would love to host a party with Firoozeh as a guest.
papi's review against another edition
5.0
What a delightful book! Full of gentle humor, keen insights into the human condition (at a ground-level), and occasional segues into commentary on current (or past) events and how they affected her or might affect the reader. She has a warm and funny way of turning a phrase, whether talking about her experiences as a young girl, her family, or the community and world around her.
I find that the books I tend to re-read are either dense with information or have dialogue that I enjoy. With the best of the latter, its almost like wrapping a favorite blanket around me on a cold winter's night. It's not just the warmth, but the texture, fragrance, and memories associated with it. Laughing Without An Accent is one of those kinds of books.
This is her second book (the first was Funny in Farsi, and although I read it as part of the common reading for incoming freshmen at the University where I work, I plan to read her first book soon.
I find that the books I tend to re-read are either dense with information or have dialogue that I enjoy. With the best of the latter, its almost like wrapping a favorite blanket around me on a cold winter's night. It's not just the warmth, but the texture, fragrance, and memories associated with it. Laughing Without An Accent is one of those kinds of books.
This is her second book (the first was Funny in Farsi, and although I read it as part of the common reading for incoming freshmen at the University where I work, I plan to read her first book soon.