Laughing Without an Accent: Adventures of an Iranian American, at Home and Abroad

I just had the privilege of meeting Firoozeh Dumas and her stories are so real. Laughing without an Accent is a great follow up to Funny in Farsi; it's a bit more serious and brings us to into Firoozeh's family in recent years. She is a master storyteller, sharing her thoughts, her perceptions and most importantly, her feelings about life, family and the American way. Reading Laughing is like spending a few hours with the author. It leaves you wanting more.

As an expatriate like Firoozeh Dumas, but not Iranian and in my case living in Europe, I was thrilled to hear that Firoozeh had written another memoir. Laughing Without An Accent continues to delight and amuse, much like her earlier book Funny In Farsi. Each of the stories seem to somehow touch the heart and can connect with people of any culture. She tells her stories about her family with wit and affection. Many of my friends live outside of the country they were born in. All found Funny In Farsi to be right on the mark and they could really relate to the situations and family issues in the book. If you're reading Laughing Without An Accent as you relax on vacation, you should know that people will constantly be asking what you're reading that's so funny.

I learned about Funni in Farsi when my children had to read the book as part of their school work in Junior High School. They laughed so much, at first I thought they were playing a prank on me. But when Mom and I read it too, we knew we had found something special. This was the only book that the whole family enjoyed reading and re-reading together. We often joke about things that happen and remind us of that book. So it was with great anticipation when we got Ms. Dumas' new book "Laughing without an accent". This book too is a masterpiece. We all loved it and we were fighting about who should be reading it at any time. Ms. Dumas, you have brought great joy and understanding to our family and we thank you for it. I recommend this book to all. It is easy reading, enjoyable, and awakens something deep inside you about our humanity. Way to go Ms. Dumas. We can't wait for the next book!

Laughing Without an Accent, By Firoozeh Dumas Reading Laughing Without an Accent recently written by Firoozeh Dumas is the most entertaining thing I can think of. I have laughed and cried many times reading each chapter of this book. The chapter I laughed and cried most when reading it is "Seyyed Abdullah Jazayeri", which I think is for this same reason. The book has stories from early 60's to the present time, ranging geographically over Iran, Europe and America. The reader is taken to restaurants with exotic foods, funeral ceremonies that celebrate life, homes with maids that climb up trees instead of attending to their duties or fall in love and get married to pregnant maids. It ends with a beautiful story of reconciliation; the friendship of the author with a former hostage. It is a well written book, with few minor typos. I have read the book two times, so far, and have enjoyed it more the second time. Such a wonderful book deserves to be read many times. Her beautiful stories can be enjoyed again and again. The reader will really appreciate all the wonderful effects Firoozeh's writing has, as a bridge builder, in introducing the Iranian culture not only to Americans but also to the world. I recommended her first book Funny in Farsi to all friends and relatives and gave at least half a dozen copies to some of them as gifts. They all loved it and said that by reading it they died from laughing. Now, it is her second book, "Laughing Without an Accent", truly a masterpiece, that the readers should read and enjoy much more than the first. Javad H. Zadeh, Ph.D.

If you liked Funny in Farsi, then you will love this book. Another collection of short stories with insightful and funny observations. My favorite is the last chapter, where she tells the story of where she met one of the people that was taken hostage in the US embassy in Tehran years ago.