Laughing Without an Accent: Adventures of a Global Citizen

Laughing Without an Accent: Adventures of a Global Citizen

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER â€¢Â â€œThereâ€™s such warmth to Dumasâ€™ writing that it invites the reader to pull up a seat at her table and smile right along with her at the quirks of her family and Iranians and Americans in general.â€â€”Booklist

In the New York TimesÂ bestselling memoir Funny in Farsi, Firoozeh Dumas recounted her adventures growing up Iranian American in Southern California. Now she again mines her rich Persian heritage in Laughing Without an Accent, sharing stories both tender and humorous on being a citizen of the world, on her well-meaning family, and on amusing cultural conundrums, all told with insights into the universality of the human condition. (Hint: It may have to do with brushing and flossing daily.)

With dry wit and a bold spirit, Dumas puts her own unique mark on the themes of family, community, and tradition. She braves the uncommon palate of her French-born husband and learns the nuances of having her book translated for Persian audiences (the censors edit out all references to ham). And along the way, she reconciles her beloved Iranian customs with her Western ideals.

Explaining crossover cultural food fare, Dumas says, â€œThe weirdest American culinary marriage is yams with melted marshmallows. I donâ€™t know who thought of this Thanksgiving tradition, but Iâ€™m guessing a hyperactive, toothless three-year-old.â€ On Iranian wedding anniversaries: â€œIt just initially seemed odd to celebrate the day that â€˜our families decided we should marry even though I had never met you, and frankly, itâ€™s not working out so well.â€™â€ On trying to fit in with her American peers: â€œAt the time, my father drove a Buick LeSabre, a fancy French word meaning â€˜OPEC thanks you.â€™â€

Dumas also documents her first year as a new mother, the familial chaos that ensues after she removes the television set from the house, the experience of taking fifty-one family members on a birthday cruise to Alaska, and a road trip to Iowa with an American once held hostage in Iran.

Droll, moving, and relevant, Laughing Without an Accent shows how our differences can unite usâ€”and provides indelible proof that Firoozeh Dumas is a humorist of the highest order.

Praise for Laughing Without an Accent
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â€œDumas is one of those rare people: a naturally gifted storyteller.â€â€”Alexander McCall Smith
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â€œLaughing Without an Accent is written . . . as if Dumas were sharing a cup of coffee with her reader as she relates her comic tales. . . . Firoozeh Dumas exudes undeniable charm [as she] reveals a zeal for cultureâ€”both new and oldâ€”and the enduring bonds of a family filled with outsize personalities.â€â€”San Francisco Chronicle
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â€œ[Dumas is] like a blend of Anne Lamott and Erma Bombeck.â€â€”Bust
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â€œHumorous without being sentimental, [Dumas] speaks to the American experience.â€â€”The Plain Dealer

From the Hardcover edition.
Country USA
Brand Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer Random House Trade Paperbacks
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9780345499578
Color Burgundy/maroon
ReleaseDate 2009-08-11
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780345499578

Country	USA
Brand	Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer	Random House Trade Paperbacks
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9780345499578
Color	Burgundy/maroon
ReleaseDate	2009-08-11
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780345499578

Laughing Without an Accent: Adventures of a Global Citizen

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