The Charleston Library Society invites you to join us for a lecture and book signing with Firoozeh Dumas. To RSVP to this event, please call (843) 723-9912 or email mstokenberry@charlestonlibrarysociety.org
New York Times Bestselling Author of Funny in Farsi:
A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and Laughing Without an Accent
Firoozeh Dumas was born in Abadan, Iran and, in the 1970’s, moved to Southern California with her family. She later attended UC Berkeley where she met and married a Frenchman.
Firoozeh grew up listening to her father, a former Fulbright Scholar, recount the many colorful stories of his life in both Iran and America. In 2001, with no prior writing experience, Firoozeh decided to write her stories as a gift for her children. Funny in Farsi was on the San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, and New York Times bestseller lists and was a finalist for the PEN/USA award in 2004 and a finalist in 2005 for an Audie Award for best audio book. (She lost to Bob Dylan.) She was also a finalist for the prestigious Thurber Prize for American Humor (she lost to Jon Stewart), and is the first Middle Eastern woman ever to be considered for this honor.
Critics and readers of all ages have loved her stories. Jimmy Carter called Funny in Farsi “A humorous and introspective chronicle of a life filled with love—of family, country and heritage.”
Over a dozen community reading programs have used Firoozeh’s books for their citywide reads, all with great success. Firoozeh’s stories appeal to all ages and backgrounds and her humor resonates with a wide audience. In addition, Funny in Farsi has become part of the curriculum in junior highs, high schools and colleges around the country and is now on the California Recommended Reading List for grades 6 – 12. Educators have found that Firoozeh’s books are a gateway to many conversations, including shared humanity, immigration, language, family and identity. Firoozeh has spoken at educational conferences throughout the United States and in Europe and was awarded the Spirit of America Award in 2008 by the National Council of Social Studies. Former recipients of this award include Jimmy Carter, Rosa Parks and Mr. Rogers. You may have heard Firoozeh’s commentaries on NPR or read one of her pieces in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle Magazine, Gourmet, Good Housekeeping or Lifetime Magazine.
In April 2005, Firoozeh’s one-woman show, “Laughing Without an Accent” opened in Northern California to sold out audiences at Theatreworks in Mountain View, California. Firoozeh incorporates much of what she learned from her one-woman show in her speeches, adding yet another layer of entertainment to her thought-provoking, yet humorous talks.
For the past eight years, Firoozeh has traveled the country reminding us that our commonalities far outweigh our differences. Her travels have taken her throughout rural America, from the East Coast to the West Coast, from Harvard University to UCLA and to Europe. Everywhere she has gone, audiences have embraced her message of shared humanity while laughing at her humorous tales.
Firoozeh Dumas’s second memoir, entitled Laughing without an Accent, was published in May 2008. Alexander McCall Smith had this to say, “These stories, like everything Firoozeh Dumas writes, are charming, highly amusing vignettes of family life. Dumas is one of those rare people–a naturally gifted storyteller.”
Firoozeh is currently working on a “tween” novel due from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt in Spring 2015. The story contains no vampires.