Firoozeh Dumas author photo
Image via Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Firoozeh Dumas

Born: January 03, 1965 – Abadan, Khuzestan, Iran

Firoozeh Dumas is an Iranian American memoirist and humor writer whose work explores immigration, family, identity, and cross-cultural life with warmth and wit. She is best known for Funny in Farsi and Laughing Without an Accent, books translated into multiple languages and praised for making Iranian American experience accessible to broad audiences.

Biography & Author's Journey

Firoozeh Dumas built her literary voice out of repeated crossings between countries and cultures. Born in Abadan, Iran, she moved to Whittier, California, at age seven, returned with her family to Iran for two years in Ahvaz and Tehran, and then came back to Southern California, eventually living in Newport Beach. She later studied Humanities at UC Berkeley, a period she has described as life-changing, and there she also met her future husband, a Frenchman. Long before publication, she was shaped by listening to her father, a former Fulbright Scholar, tell stories about family, migration, aspiration, and loss. ((https://firoozehdumas.com/bio/))

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Quotes

quote
I am now that island for grieving and useless souls
-What I needed was a rest break on the Island of Grieving and Useless Folks
quote
Evolution, thy name is potluck
-Sweet, Sour, and Resentful
quote
We are all citizen diplomats whether we want to be or not, either uniting or dividing with our words
-My mother has been a citizen diplomat
quote
The Coronavirus Book Club has quickly become the highlight of my week
-How a Coronavirus Story Hour Became the Highlight of My Week
quote
We pay a few percentage points more in taxes than we paid in California, but holy Betsy DeVos, do we get more!
-Why I Dread Returning to an American Public School
quote
I knew that “dog” would now be added to that list, whether I wanted it or not
-The Most Unpopular Dog in Germany
quote
The removal of an organ certainly deserves more
-After Surgery in Germany, I Wanted Vicodin, Not Herbal Tea
quote
It is the Justin Trudeau of holidays
-An Iranian Holiday That’s Perfect for Americans
quote
Granted, maybe both of these employees hate their jobs, but you will never know that by their pleasant behavior
-Foot Fungus Is Better in America
quote
If he lived in Iran and displayed the equivalent opinion of the Iranian president on his bumper, he would be in Evin prison
-Opinion: Hey Americans, Appreciate Your Freedom Of Speech

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Community Voices

"Dumas is one of those rare people: a naturally gifted storyteller"

Alexander McCall Smith

"Dumas is like a blend of Anne Lamott and Erma Bombeck"

Bust

"Firoozeh Dumas exudes undeniable charm"

San Francisco Chronicle

"Humorous without being sentimental, Dumas speaks to the American experience"

The Plain Dealer

"There's such warmth to Dumas' writing that it invites the reader to pull up a seat at her table"

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