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jwinchell's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. There was something so off about the narrative style. We spent so much time in her angsty, self-absorbed tween and teen years, which I understand are in marked contrast to the reality of being undocumented. It just went on and on. Even when I zoomed on with a 30 minute read, the silly tone kept on in the middle and end of the book. Too much time spent on side stories and not enough pull of her story as an undocumented future Iranian American. I wanted to like this so much more than I actually did.
j45rpm's review against another edition
5.0
Funny, witty, and a clarion call for protecting dreamers
Sara Saedi’s parents brought her to the US when she was two years old, fleeing the turmoil in Iran. Her parents filed for political asylum, but two years later, INS said they had no record of the application, so instead, they had to pursue other avenues of gaining legal status.
Saedi writes of coming of age as the daughter of immigrants, the fear when she learned she was an undocumented immigrant, the lengthy process of getting a green card, the terror when her sister almost aged out of the system before getting legal status, and of other life experiences.
In an era when undocumented immigration, dreamers, etc. are such a major daily topic of news, Saedi’s book is a must-read. Her stories, clear writing, and wit make it a fun read too. Highly recommended.
Sara Saedi’s parents brought her to the US when she was two years old, fleeing the turmoil in Iran. Her parents filed for political asylum, but two years later, INS said they had no record of the application, so instead, they had to pursue other avenues of gaining legal status.
Saedi writes of coming of age as the daughter of immigrants, the fear when she learned she was an undocumented immigrant, the lengthy process of getting a green card, the terror when her sister almost aged out of the system before getting legal status, and of other life experiences.
In an era when undocumented immigration, dreamers, etc. are such a major daily topic of news, Saedi’s book is a must-read. Her stories, clear writing, and wit make it a fun read too. Highly recommended.
carnimdream's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
kaylareadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
*I received an eARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. So thank you netgalley, Knopf books and Sara Saedi for a copy. The book is expected to be released on February 6th, 2018*
Growing up, I went to a Jewish private school with a lot of Iranian Jews. My friends would refer to our school as the “Iranian Embassy of America.” Farsi could be heard in the halls, my friends would tell stories of how their families came over and would talk about how only one of their parents went to high school. Those of us who weren’t from Iran (or Persian as my friends would refer to themselves) would sit with wide eyes, taking in every story they told us.
One of my friends would tell us about her grandmother sang for the Shah in Iran while another one would tell us about how her grandmother got married at 12, and still lives in Tehran. Her grandparents would come every year to visit, she would tell us stories about the visits. A boy in my class would tell me stories about his family fled Iran to Italy and then as a child he moved to Israel, before coming to America. Another boy in my class was the only person in his entire family to not be born in Iran.
We learnt at a young age that personal space didn’t exist in our friends homes, our business became their business. We learnt that when going to their parties, the time written on the invite didn’t mean anything. The only ones who showed up at that time were the ashkenazi (those of us who came from Eastern European backgrounds.) kids whose parents had never been to a Persian event before. It was good to be friends with the Persian kids, they are the most loyal people in our class.
We were well versed in the rules our Persian friends taught us. Persians can only marry other Persians, Persian girls aren’t allowed to go away for the weekend, Persians don’t have pets and so many more. We would teach our Persian friends words we used, about the foods we ate, why our teachers who were married chose to cover up their hair while their families were taking in the freedom of not having to cover up.
My friends knew Farsi better than they spoke english, they would teach us words so we could follow along. Some of the words we learnt weren’t so great, I remember being in fourth grade and all the boys thought it was SO funny that they learnt the Farsi word for fart.
The Persians would poke fun at our Eastern European traditions, our bland foods and our ability to pick up on Yiddish. We would laugh when they brought over the top foods or how their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs were these grand parties, everyone was invited.
We knew SO much about our friends families, history, traditions, food and so much more. But one thing we never spoke about was the process of them becoming legal immigrants. It didn’t matter to me, my friends were my friends. They were loud, tight-knit, fun, and proud to be from Iran. I will never forget running around the halls with some of my friends while they chanted “Iran Number One” followed by a chorus of laughter and Farsi.
Sara tells a story of one so different yet so similar from that of my friends. Her family came over from Iran to escape the revolution and to give her and her sister a better life. At the age of 12, Sara learns that her family is here illegally and she’s not a legal citizen of this country.
She tells her story. About her relationship with her culture, how she was jealous of her non-Iranian friends while being proud to be who she was. Sara’s story is timeless, one that tells the story of immigrants and their struggle to find a balance.
I loved reading her story, getting to see it through her eyes. Getting to hear about her family dynamic, learn about her feeling towards her culture and see just how challenging and difficult it is to become a citizen of this country.
I loved how real she was. Her story is one of a regular teenager, she talks about her experiences with boys and drugs and how her parents impacted all of that. And what role her culture played in everything she did. She also talks about the not so good things, and the not so great feelings she had towards where she came from.
Her story is one thats different than the ones of my friends, everyones story is different and we need to remember that.
Books like Sara’s are extremely important in todays political climate, learning about other peoples culture and getting to form our own opinions. We hear all about whats going from news outlets, but very rarely do we get to talk or hear from people who are actually living through this. I think this is an important book for people to read.
Growing up, I went to a Jewish private school with a lot of Iranian Jews. My friends would refer to our school as the “Iranian Embassy of America.” Farsi could be heard in the halls, my friends would tell stories of how their families came over and would talk about how only one of their parents went to high school. Those of us who weren’t from Iran (or Persian as my friends would refer to themselves) would sit with wide eyes, taking in every story they told us.
One of my friends would tell us about her grandmother sang for the Shah in Iran while another one would tell us about how her grandmother got married at 12, and still lives in Tehran. Her grandparents would come every year to visit, she would tell us stories about the visits. A boy in my class would tell me stories about his family fled Iran to Italy and then as a child he moved to Israel, before coming to America. Another boy in my class was the only person in his entire family to not be born in Iran.
We learnt at a young age that personal space didn’t exist in our friends homes, our business became their business. We learnt that when going to their parties, the time written on the invite didn’t mean anything. The only ones who showed up at that time were the ashkenazi (those of us who came from Eastern European backgrounds.) kids whose parents had never been to a Persian event before. It was good to be friends with the Persian kids, they are the most loyal people in our class.
We were well versed in the rules our Persian friends taught us. Persians can only marry other Persians, Persian girls aren’t allowed to go away for the weekend, Persians don’t have pets and so many more. We would teach our Persian friends words we used, about the foods we ate, why our teachers who were married chose to cover up their hair while their families were taking in the freedom of not having to cover up.
My friends knew Farsi better than they spoke english, they would teach us words so we could follow along. Some of the words we learnt weren’t so great, I remember being in fourth grade and all the boys thought it was SO funny that they learnt the Farsi word for fart.
The Persians would poke fun at our Eastern European traditions, our bland foods and our ability to pick up on Yiddish. We would laugh when they brought over the top foods or how their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs were these grand parties, everyone was invited.
We knew SO much about our friends families, history, traditions, food and so much more. But one thing we never spoke about was the process of them becoming legal immigrants. It didn’t matter to me, my friends were my friends. They were loud, tight-knit, fun, and proud to be from Iran. I will never forget running around the halls with some of my friends while they chanted “Iran Number One” followed by a chorus of laughter and Farsi.
Sara tells a story of one so different yet so similar from that of my friends. Her family came over from Iran to escape the revolution and to give her and her sister a better life. At the age of 12, Sara learns that her family is here illegally and she’s not a legal citizen of this country.
She tells her story. About her relationship with her culture, how she was jealous of her non-Iranian friends while being proud to be who she was. Sara’s story is timeless, one that tells the story of immigrants and their struggle to find a balance.
I loved reading her story, getting to see it through her eyes. Getting to hear about her family dynamic, learn about her feeling towards her culture and see just how challenging and difficult it is to become a citizen of this country.
I loved how real she was. Her story is one of a regular teenager, she talks about her experiences with boys and drugs and how her parents impacted all of that. And what role her culture played in everything she did. She also talks about the not so good things, and the not so great feelings she had towards where she came from.
Her story is one thats different than the ones of my friends, everyones story is different and we need to remember that.
Books like Sara’s are extremely important in todays political climate, learning about other peoples culture and getting to form our own opinions. We hear all about whats going from news outlets, but very rarely do we get to talk or hear from people who are actually living through this. I think this is an important book for people to read.
calypsogilstrap's review against another edition
4.0
I generally am not a fan of memoirs but this one a was well written page turning coming of age story that helped me better understand immigrant Iranians. Although this book will quickly become out of date I enjoyed the read especially in the current climate.
livings's review against another edition
5.0
Loved her retelling of growing up as an immigrant American. Great timing for her story -- we are more alike than different no matter where we're from.
readwithpassion's review against another edition
5.0
I really like this book, and my students love it, too. They particularly like how accessible it is. Sara Saedi was born around the time that I was born, so I felt nostalgic reading about all of the pop culture references. I was worried my 20-year-old students wouldn't like it for this reason, but they really did!
literaryk's review against another edition
3.0
I will admit that I struggled with this memoir, but did enjoy the unique perspecitve.
At first, I found it refreshing to read an immigration story that wasn't fraught with immense danger and a perilous journey. I was invested in learning about the paperwork side of things.
However, the bulk of this memoir was vapid stories of teenage hood that I wouldn't normally give the time of day. Like most teens, Sara was obsessed with boys, looks, and making things appear worse than they were. On occasion she mentioned her fear of being deported, but it was only in passing. Often times I felt like I could forget her status. Many critics described this as a very "human" story, and I slowly began to understand that observation. The fact that her journey from "illegal" to American citizen takes 24 years made me realized that I couldn't expect every chapter to give me an update on her immigration story.
Despite this, I was ready to rank this a 2 star story until the final chapters. I appreciated the information the author provided on the citizenship process, and her observations on life became more interesting. I suppose this makes sense-- we're fully out of her teen years by the end.
Overall, a decent story, but ultimately forgettable.
At first, I found it refreshing to read an immigration story that wasn't fraught with immense danger and a perilous journey. I was invested in learning about the paperwork side of things.
However, the bulk of this memoir was vapid stories of teenage hood that I wouldn't normally give the time of day. Like most teens, Sara was obsessed with boys, looks, and making things appear worse than they were. On occasion she mentioned her fear of being deported, but it was only in passing. Often times I felt like I could forget her status. Many critics described this as a very "human" story, and I slowly began to understand that observation. The fact that her journey from "illegal" to American citizen takes 24 years made me realized that I couldn't expect every chapter to give me an update on her immigration story.
Despite this, I was ready to rank this a 2 star story until the final chapters. I appreciated the information the author provided on the citizenship process, and her observations on life became more interesting. I suppose this makes sense-- we're fully out of her teen years by the end.
Overall, a decent story, but ultimately forgettable.