Journal Entry 1 by HopKnot from Scottsdale, Arizona USA on Wednesday, September 27, 2006

This is a memoir about a women who immigrated to the United States (California) in the early seventies from Iran. This was before the Isamlic Revolution in Iran so when she came here most Americans had not heard of Iran.

This is a funny and endearing story about growing up as an immigrant in a America.

She was not famous before writing the book, so its a memoir about an ordinary person.

I enjoyed it a lot.

This is now reserved for Pok Pok's Virtual Bookbox. 

Journal Entry 2 by labmomnm from Albuquerque, New Mexico USA on Sunday, December 10, 2006

Arrived in the mail - thanks, and thanks for the postcards!

25 April 2007 - I started reading this book this morning & am loving it - she's so funny! Her father is a riot...He reminds me a lot of my Mom's family, which is kind of scary, actually.

I'm going to offer this as a bookray.

Bookray:
UnwrittenLibra (MD, USA) can ship anywhere
passiontoread (PA, USA) can ship anywhere
NomiJo (NY, USA) can ship anywhere
collectorkerri (IL, USA) can ship anywhere
Triggerfish (UK) can ship anywhere
rapturina (NL) can ship anywhere
Piiku (FI) can ship anywhere
guinaveve (OH, USA)
Isabel-Batteria (PR, USA) USA shipping only <----- 

Journal Entry 3 by UnwrittenLibra from Houston, Texas USA on Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Received it yesterday, 4/30...thank you USPS! Great job, for once! Can't wait to read it...second or third on my book pile right now. Thanks again for the favor, Tamara! 

Journal Entry 4 by UnwrittenLibra from Houston, Texas USA on Friday, May 11, 2007

Off to Amy in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania; I mailed it yesterday out of the Pikesville-Baltimore post office. Enjoy! 

Journal Entry 5 by UnwrittenLibra from Houston, Texas USA on Friday, May 11, 2007

10 stars...a top-notch book! Dumas is incredibly witty and has an unbelievable writing style. She reminded me of a female David Sedaris. The book flowed very well and even though it was short, I read chapters over many, many times - it took much longer than I thought! I decided to start a "postcard diary" with this bookray as I have heard done with other books...add a postcard for someplace that you take the book (I took it with me to CT, MA, and VT) or add a postcard with a fun entry from your hometown. 

Journal Entry 6 by passiontoread from Coopersburg, Pennsylvania USA on Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Received in the mail today! Many thanks! I also love the idea of the post card and will continue! I am currently in the middle of reading another bookring and will get to this immediately afterward so it can get sent on it's merry way! 

Journal Entry 7 by passiontoread from Coopersburg, Pennsylvania USA on Friday, May 25, 2007

Wow! I loved this book! It's so well written. I immediately liked Dumas and her style of writing. I'm glad she found her hobby in writing instead of making 40 pound salt dough decorations! Thanks for sharing and I did add a postcard from historic Bethlehem. Contacted Nomijo and waiting for an address. 

Journal Entry 8 by passiontoread from Coopersburg, Pennsylvania USA on Wednesday, May 30, 2007

This good book was mailed today to Nomijo. Postcard diary #2 included. Enjoy!! 

Journal Entry 9 by NomiJo from Scarsdale, New York USA on Wednesday, June 06, 2007

This book arrived on Saturday the 2nd, and I have been thoroughly enjoying it since then. I will be finished shortly and will be contacting collectorkerri today for the next address.

I must say Dumas is really utterly likeable and with such a lovely breezy style of writing. 

Journal Entry 10 by NomiJo from Scarsdale, New York USA on Thursday, June 07, 2007

Okay, I just finished the book and now what I really wish is that I could have dinner with Firoozeh and hang out and talk. Maybe a nice long weekend visit. I agree with UnwrittenLibra's comparison to David Sedaris as well. I find that I am now making a list in my head of all the people for whom I really ought to buy this book...

I will mail this off to the very prompt (thank you) collectorkerri as soon as I can. Thank you also to Labmomnm and passiontoread. 

Journal Entry 11 by NomiJo from Scarsdale, New York USA on Friday, June 08, 2007

this wonderful book is headed to collectorkerri in IL. Enjoy! 

Journal Entry 12 by collectorkerri from Springfield, Illinois USA on Monday, June 18, 2007

Received today. Will read ASAP. Thanks. 

Journal Entry 13 by collectorkerri from Springfield, Illinois USA on Tuesday, July 24, 2007

I really enjoyed this book. What a charming tale of adjusting to life in the US. Dumas' family is a riot, especially her father.

On its way (a little late, sorry) to Triggerfish in Scotland. Bon voyage! 

Journal Entry 14 by Triggerfish from Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom on Monday, August 13, 2007

Arrived safely today, thank you! 

Journal Entry 15 by Triggerfish from Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom on Sunday, August 19, 2007

This is a very enjoyable book and a very positive take on the experience of being an immigrant in the USA. Dumas says enough to make it clear that everything was not easy, particularly so after the revolution in Iran.
I enjoyed the humour, warmth and cultural insights of this book.
Thanks to everyone involved for passing this book along.
I will enclose an Edinburgh postcard and post the book to rapturina early next week. 

Journal Entry 16 by Triggerfish from Edinburgh, Scotland United Kingdom on Sunday, August 26, 2007

Posted book yesterday. 

Journal Entry 17 by rapturina from Yantai, Shandong China on Wednesday, September 05, 2007

It's here, on my birthday! :D I've been wanting to read this book for a long time, so this was a nice surprise. LOVE the postcards too. The bookrings are piling up here, but funnily enough they all seem to be fairly quick reads, so it shouldn't take me too long to get to this one! 

Journal Entry 18 by rapturina from Yantai, Shandong China on Friday, September 14, 2007

This was a lovely book, I very much enjoyed reading it! It's very warm and funny and at the same time touches some interesting - and sometimes rather painful - issues that I think are very important in this day and age, with the world becoming more interconnected by the minute. :D I really liked Dumas's style and I do hope she will write more books for me to read!

Thank you so much for this ray, labmomnm, I'm very pleased I got to read this book.

Sent to Piiku this afternoon! 

Journal Entry 19 by Piiku from Parainen, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Thursday, September 27, 2007

The book is here, thank you rapturina for mailing it, and of course labmomnm for organizing the ring. Funny thing with the bookrings, first you do not have a single one for months, and then you get several at the same time! This is my third in a week, but I should be able to tackle all of them in a couple of weeks.

I'm quite sure I will enjoy reading this book as much as the postcards that came with it. Must admit that I would like to snatch the one of Boothill Graveyard for dotdot, but I won't. She collects funeral and graveyard postcards, and I think this is the first one I've ever seen! 

Journal Entry 20 by Piiku from Parainen, Varsinais-Suomi Finland on Thursday, October 04, 2007

Journal Entry 21 by guinaveve from Mason, Ohio USA on Tuesday, October 16, 2007

How funny, Piiku, that this book was part of my challenge and is now in my hands. I think it will be number 23 for me in the same challenge once I pass it on.

After reading all of the reviews here, I can't wait to read this. I haven't gone through the postcards yet, but am eager to do so. Thanks for starting this ray labmomnm and thanks to all that passed it along to me. I am PMing the next participant, so I will have the address when I am ready to send it on. 

Journal Entry 22 by guinaveve from Mason, Ohio USA on Thursday, October 18, 2007

Journal Entry 23 by guinaveve from Mason, Ohio USA on Saturday, November 10, 2007

I had this book read very quickly, but was hoping to get my postcard from a particular place. The Ohio Renaissance Festival either doesn't have postcards or was out the weekend I went. I has to settle for another. I have included it with the other postcards that were in the book already. That was a pretty neat idea. I sent the book on yesterday, first class. 

Journal Entry 24 by guinaveve at by postal services in Sent by mail, a fellow bookcrosser -- Controlled Releases on Saturday, November 10, 2007

Released 4 yrs ago (11/9/2007 UTC) at by postal services in Sent by mail, a fellow bookcrosser -- Controlled Releases

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

RELEASE NOTES:

Thanks for sharing this book! 

Journal Entry 25 by Isabel-Batteria from San Juan, Puerto Rico USA on Monday, December 03, 2007

I really enjoyed this book. I read it at a Starbucks while the person I was with did some work, and I kept interrupting him to tell him stuff I had just read and found fascinating. I found myself laughing out loud at some things. I loved the way the book is divided: each "chapter" is an essay that can easily be independent from the others. I liked the ironic style (which is common in childhood memoirs, but some, like Dumas, master).

I have thought many, many times of writing a memoir. I'm a little against the idea because everybody does that nowadays, but the interesting way Dumas organized her book allowed her to say a lot in a little space. I come from an immigrant family too, and while we are not very exotic, some of my experiences growing up in a country different than the one of the person raising me are really funny. I could relate to Firoozeh Dumas from Iran better than with someone who grew up in the same place and time as I did. She has inspired me to go on with my boring memoir project.

I also definitely related to her troubles with her last name. Mine is Batteria. I live in a Spanish-speaking country, and "batería" is, well, battery. My last name is pronounced exactly like that word. I have lived with it my whole life, and I have been named with all the brands in the market!

I loved the postcards and added mine, even though I think the book stops with me. And I was also thrilled that it was an autographed copy! I am lucky to have it with me for a while, until I figure out what to do with it. In the meantime, I will use it as a reference for my own creativity.