| Title | : | It Aint So Awful, Falafel |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0544612310 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780544612310 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 378 |
| Publication | : | First published May 3, 2016 |
| Awards | : | Vermont Golden Dome Book Award (2018), Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (2019) |
It Aint So Awful, Falafel Reviews
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I lost count how many times I laughed out loud.
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Having enjoyed
Funny In Farsi earlier this year, I was happy to try the author's semi-autobiographical middle grade book. Through the POV of a middle school girl named Zomorod (Cindy),
Firoozeh Dumas tells a story about life in America as an Iranian immigrant during the late 70s to early 80s. Zomorod is able to relay her experiences, which take place during a time of political turmoil and uncertainty, as a poignant and uplifting story.
The story begins on moving day; Zomorod's fourth move. She was born in Iran and is now moving to Newport Beach, California. Zomorod is smart, quick-witted, and fiercely independent. All this makes her a very likable and relatable character. Her take on life and observations make this a touching and at times laugh-out-loud funny story.
This is a clever, educational, and engaging story readers of all ages will enjoy. From the historical facts to the experience of an immigrant family, there is much to learn and discuss while reading this book. I think this one would be great as a group read. -
I loved this book. I laughed a lot, it had its sad moments too.
It's the life of a normal immigrant middle-schooler and challenges she faces like when she has to play translator role for her parents, or when she is the new kid at school and tries to melt in. At the same time it tells the story of my home country in a period that changed everything for it and us(the people).
When revolution happens in Iran, US and Iran relations were ruined forever and it shows how it affected normal people's lives. Although this books is about almost 40 years ago it can relate to today's world too. With all conflicts going on all over the world and so many people far from their country by choice or by force. -
Booktalked this one to middle schoolers in Winter 2017.
We talked about pivotal days in your life - how some days you remember forever. Mine was 9/11. Some of the kids were days their parents told them they were getting a divorce, or major injuries. One said the Paris attacks of 2015.
For Zomorod/Cindy, it's the first day of the Iranian Hostage Crisis of the late 1970s.
It sounds very dramatic, but this book is more meandering than that. I read this book on lunch breaks from work, which might have colored my sense of the pacing - only reading in half hour chunks over months, instead of consuming it over a few evenings at home.
However, I did like the nitty gritty. How she talks about very universal struggles with fitting in within a new community, but adding on the difficulties of living in a different country from where you were born. And then liking a lot about the new place, but still not being recognized as someone who belongs there. Liminality is tough.
It's a thoughtful, honest book, about a character who's very concrete and smart in her thinking. It's sticking with me. Especially with all of the junk on the news this year. -
I really enjoyed this. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Dumas, and she read it perfectly. I'm definitely going to try out her other books.
Oddly enough, this was the second ya book I've read this year set in the US during the Iran hostage crisis. I find it a bit strange because the kids I know who read at this level would not be very interested in a book set in that time period. But lots of adults my age would like the trip down memory lane.
I think this book is actually somewhat relevant to today's current backlash against outsiders. It was interesting to see how this semi-autobiographical account sounded so similar to some of the nasty rhetoric I hear now about refugees and immigrants. Throughout time it seems we repeat the same vile behaviour towards those who are new or different. -
Loved this one!
This book is a great mix of funny and serious as Cindy (Zomorod) navigates her middle-school years as an Iranian living in California just before and during the Iranian Revolution and subsequent Iranian Hostage Crisis. It reminded me of one of my favorite books I read over and over again as a child - Judy Blume's Just as Long as We're Together - for a combination of the time period (historical now, contemporary then) and the loosely plotted friendship story. As the Iranian Hostage Crisis starts, the book takes a more serious tone as Cindy and her family experience new prejudices and bigotry from some of those around them.
I will definitely be adding this one to the booktalking roster for next school year! Highly recommended. -
A really fabulous middle grade read about growing up in 1979 America as an Iranian during the Iranian Crisis. Cindy's voice is funny and perceptive without ever being too smart for 11/12. The situations and challenges with friends, with American customs, and with wanting to be a hero in your own family are realistic.
Readers who are interested in this part of the world or the history here would do well with
Dare to Disappoint: Growing Up in Turkey which is about the Turkish revolutions; it might be over the heads of middle grade readers, but it certainly wouldn't be for all. Obviously Iran and Turkey are not the same, but the experiences as insider and outsider here make fascinating comparisons to one another, especially as Dumas's story does touch upon Turkey's relationship with Iran.
I've read both of Dumas's memoirs and it was neat to see her using her own experience to color this story, but not in any way that was a self-insert (and there's a really great author's note about this, too). -
کلا کتابهای دوما بامزه اند. این کتابم شبیه دوتای قبلی خوندنش واقعا خوش گذشت
حتی میتونم بگم بیشتر از دوتای قبلی قشنگ بود خصوصا چون انگلیسی خوندمش و در شرایط مشابهای دارم زندگی میکنم.
کتاب به صورت خنده دار از دردی میگه که ما هروز لمس میکنیم. و اینش برام قابل لمس ترش کرده بود
نصف اول کتاب خیلی سریع و خوب و بامزه جلو رفت. ولی تیکه دوم که درباره انقلاب و گروگان گیری بود. اینقدر سریع پیش نرفت. حس میکنم کاملا تکراری بود و تو کتاب قبلی هم نصف کتاب تقریبا همین بود.
ولی در کل همه کتاب رو فک کنم دوشبه خوندم. یعنی اینقدر جذاب بود برام
احتمالا یه روزی بامزهها در فارسی هم به انگلیسی میخونم -
Wow, this was a really good book! I think it was really inspirational and motivational and had such an amazing ending and twist! I think everyone should read it!
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Historical middlegrade is not something I've come across a lot, and I loved this one! It's a character-driven slice of life story set during the Iranian revolution and showing the response to that in the US. I imagine that if you don't really know anything about this topic yet, it's such an accessible way to introduce you to it, because there were a lot of clear explanations. But it's not a non-fiction, of course, and what really stood out for me was the main character's voice.
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What a beautiful semi-autobiographical account of an Iranian girl living in California in the late 1970s! Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh tells of her hilarious, lonely, and insightful experiences in America in her witty, comedic, and relatable voice. She shares her family’s immigrant struggles: her mother’s sadness away from her country and her resistance to assimilate into the American culture; her family’s tendency to avoid all things dangerous and all regularly-priced goods; her father’s philosophical view of all politics Iranian; her personal experiences of exploitive racism because of the Iranian revolution and hostage situation of the time; and her journey to be at once herself and a kid with friends, hopes, and dreams. This is a wonderful, relevant historical (semi-)fiction for middle school readers (this is currently a read aloud in my son’s 6th grade English class) packed with history, coming-of-age themes, the immigrant experience, and the splendor of friendship and human connections. I really enjoyed this read!
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I read both of Firoozeh Dumas earlier adult books and enjoyed them both. Having worked with two Persian women I am intrigued by the future and an ardent fan of their food. Two thumbs up for anything with eggplant! I must say I liked this middle grade novel even better. I zipped through the pages, it was immensely enjoyable and very easy to relate to "Cindy" as the protagonist dubs herself after struggling through life in America as Zomorod. Additionally, I learned a lot more about the Iranian Revolution and events taking place in the late '70s and early '80s. Really hope Dumas will treat readers to further installments in Cindy's life.
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I wish I could give this 10 stars. I keep thinking about the book "Wonder" - helping develop empathy in readers is a powerful thing. This book does that too, but from the perspective of an Iranian girl living in the US in the late 70s. Hilarious, heartbreaking, wonderful story.
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Yet another brilliant novel by Firoozeh Dumas! I love how effortless she writes and how easily she can make you laugh or cry. Seeing the revolution from another perspective was a great and strange experience.
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It Ain't So Awful Falafel
To all the kids who don't belong, for whatever reason.
This one's for you.
- Dedication
My dad says that the dogs and cats in America are luckier than most people in the world.
- page 34
My dad always says that kindness is our religion and if we treat everybody the way we would like to be treated, the world would be a better place.
- page 40
... only bookworms get excited over other bookworms
- page 69
"Who would ever have thought that a person could be so powerful, then so completely powerless, all in the same lifetime?"
- page 219 (referring to the downfall of the shah)
... even though we belong to three different religions. We are alike in so many more ways than we are different.
- page 299
It was only when I stopped pretending to be someone else that I found my real friends.
- page 360
This was a good read. Zomorod (who changes her name to Cindy) is from Iran. Her father is an engineer who works with American companies building oil refineries in Iran, so they moved back and forth a couple of times. Now she is starting junior high (which nowadays is called middle school) and doesn't know anyone. She wants to fit in, but she focuses on how different she is from all the other kids. The first friend she makes (in the summer before school) decides she doesn't want to be friends when school starts. Poor "Cindy" is lost and worried and tired of having to explain to everyone where Iran is and how to pronounce her last name.
Cindy finds friends and seems to be settling in and basically happy. Then Iran has a revolution, the shah is kicked out of the country, and Ayatollah Khomeini takes over. On November 4, 1979, Iranian students, angry that President Carter allowed the shah to come to the United States, take a group of Americans hostage. This changes Cindy's family's life and her father loses his job.
I was in junior high during the Iran Hostage Crisis. I remember feeling vaguely angry at the hostage takers and worried about the hostages. My mom wasn't huge on watching the news with us or anything, but I knew what was happening (at least generally).
It was interesting reading this story told from the point of view of an Iranian girl in America at the time. It was so hard for Cindy's family, and many Americans were so hostile towards Iranians, even though those living in America weren't responsible for the situation and didn't necessarily approve of it. Cindy and her parents were so appalled that a religious leader could be responsible for such behavior. But that didn't save them from hate and discrimination.
This is a nominee for the Florida Sunshine State award grades 3-5. I really liked the book and will highly recommend it to our students when school starts. -
Zomorod Yousefzadeh is moving again the summer before sixth grade from Compton, California to a condo in Newport Beach, California in the late 1970s, because her father is an Iranian petroleum engineer relocated to America. This time Zomorod is adopting the name "Cindy" from the Brady Bunch because Americans can't pronounce her long Iranian name. Besides her own crisis of trying to fit in, there is a word wide crisis instigated by her own home country--Iran. This crisis of holding Americans hostages in Iran dominates Zomorod's family life, and affects her friendships.
The humorous situations "Cindy" found herself in made me laugh--from translating for her mother; to suntanning when she was already dark and mistaken for a Mexican.
A free history lesson was a bonus. Even though I lived the 1970s I was busy raising a family and they were my world at the time.
Thanks to the author for sharing some of her experiences through an entertaining and enlightening story. -
So many stars for this book! I adored the narrator's voice and humor as well as how much I learned from her accounts of her own experience and of political events.
"People who hate just happen to be the loudest." -
LOVED this.
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I recently read that adults should be more in the habit of taking book recommendations from young readers--especially from the young readers who live in their home. So I asked my 11 year-old bookworm to go to the library with me and pick something she thought I'd like and that we could discuss afterward.
Before I review the book that she chose for me, I should say that this particular bookworm will be starting middle school in the fall--not just starting middle school, but starting middle school in a new school district. To say she's had some angst about it is putting it mildly. Just a week before our library trip, we attended information night at what will be her new school and when she saw she was supposed to list 3 friends who she'd be willing to share a locker with, her eyes filled with tears and she whispered, "I don't know ANYONE!" So, just days later, when I asked for a book recommendation, out of the many, many books she's read and loved, she picked "It Ain't so Awful, Falafel", about a girl, Cindy, who is trying to fit in as she begins middle school in a new place. Coincidence? I think not.
As I read this book, I loved that my daughter frequently looked over my shoulder, saying things like, "Oh, you're in such a good part!" or "I'm dying to tell you something Mom, but I really shouldn't" or "Mom, this character isn't really all that mean....you'll see."
I did legitimately enjoy this book, even apart from the time spent with my daughter. It was funny, touching, well-written, and it had an interesting historical slant--set in the late 70's/ early 80's during the Iran Hostage Crisis. My daughter probably didn't realize when she recommended it that I could relate to the shag carpet, canopy bed set, fashion trends and movie choices described in the book.
In a sweet side note, when I went to the computer to rate this, she asked if she could create her own Goodreads account, which she just did. We're now "friends". On her very first review, as she debated what to give "It Ain't so Awful, Falafel" she said exactly what I've said a thousand times....."What? You can't give half stars? What's up with that? Four is too few. Five is too many. It's absolutely a 4 and a half!" I feel your pain, 11 year-old bookworm, I feel your pain. -
Zomorod would rather be called Cindy. She loves everything American, and is frequently embarrassed by her mother, who can't speak much English. They've just moved to Newport Beach and it's the late 1970s, when the Iran Hostage Crisis is just about to hit the news. Cindy's dad loses his engineer job, then can't find another one. Cindy herself is just trying to get through junior high, and thank goodness for her best friends, because hatred and prejudice against the Middle East and Iran is heating up. The author's lively writing style and endearing main character are what keeps the novel afloat, because the lengthy, stilted, almost history-textbook commentary between characters on the subject of the Shah, the hostages, and Iranian history and culture are just clunky. What 12 or 13 year old girl is that knowledgeable on all of these topics? Neighbors ask naive questions of Cindy's father so the author can use him as a vehicle for imparting more information to her readers. Despite this clumsiness, readers will love Cindy and root for her and her family. 6th grade, older.
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کتاب از زبان یه دختر دوازده ساله ایرانی روایت میشه که به آمریکا مهاجرت کرده
دختر درباره مدرسه حرف میزنه. سختی های اداپت شدن با محیط جدید مخصوصا برای والدینش
درباره اوضاع ایران در سال اخر حکومت شاه صحبت میکنه و همین طور بعد از انقلاب.
کتاب در حدی ساده اس و هیچ چیزی نداره مخصوصا برای ما ایرانی ها که همه تاریخ را میدونیم که به درد دختر همون دوازده ساله آمریکایی میخوره اگه بخواد با ایران آشنا بشه. خنده دار هم اصلا اصلا نبود.
و خیلی جالب بود که چقدر شخصیت های آمریکایی تو کتاب به دونستن درباره ایران علاقه مند بودن!
خیلی با جزئیات از بد بودن شاه حرف میزد
و بعد کل جزئیات انقلاب را علاقه مند بودن که بدونن.
خوب جالب نبود و اصلا هم توصیه نمیشه! -
I really liked the story and historical aspect of it. So many things I could relate to because I was a kid in late 70's and early 80's. Not sure who the audience of this novel would be? Great story though!
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Entertaining, educational, emotional, and informative.
I read It Ain't So Awful, Falafel with my 9-year-old daughter and it constantly provided us with food for long discussions. Since I grew up in the US at the same time as Zomorod (Cindy) and my daughter is straddling Middle Eastern and American cultures while living in Europe, we had a lot to discuss.
I could relate to the pop culture and political background, as well as the location, having lived in southern California for 8 years. During our discussions, I related to my daughter my memories of the Iranian revolution, the Iran Hostage crisis, and Jimmy Carter's presidency from the eyes of a junior high student.
My daughter could relate to the cultural differences between the Middle East and the US (she has family in both regions). She could also relate to Cindy, who spoke the language and fit into the culture she was living in better than both her parents.
I had difficulty discussing with my daughter the motivations behind the people who treated Zomorod and her family so poorly during the Iranian hostage crisis, simply because they were Iranian. I couldn't understand it myself. I hadn't experienced any anti-Iranian hate messages in my environment at the time, but I can easily believe that Zomorod and her family suffered from such bigotry and that people like that were (and are still) out there. I was so happy that the good-hearted, tolerant, welcoming Americans, such as those who I know and love, came through in the end.
The story was told in brief episodes with short chapters, which allowed the story to move along rapidly, without getting bogged down in one aspect too long. We experienced the political, the cultural, and the personal aspects of Zomorod's pre-teen and early teen life in short, colorful episodes.
It Ain't So Awful, Falafel is a wonderful book -- educational, informative, emotional, and entertaining rolled into one.
I received a copy of this book from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. -
A middle grade novel about an 11 year old Iranian girl growing up in Southern California before, during, and just after the Iranian revolution of 1979. Funny, sweet, and sad (but mostly funny). I learned so much about 20th century Iranian history while enjoying myself.
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From my review on
my blog.
Every once in a while a book completely surprises you. This was one of those books. I had heard about it in an article in Time Magazine referencing the #WeNeedDiverseBooks movement which I have followed for some time. The book sounded like a fun read and I was thrilled when I managed to get a library copy over the summer.
The premise of this book is that Zomorod Yousefzadeh has just moved to Newport Beach. Zomorod is an 11 year old Iranian girl whose father works for the oil industry and their family has had to move many times in the US as well as in Iran. More than anything else, Zomorod wants to be accepted in her community and "fit in." She goes so far as to go by the name Cindy, since her given name is difficult to pronounce as well as "different."
As the book starts out, it is mainly about being different and trying to fit in. Cindy is an avid reader and constantly looking out for her mother, who seems to be very lonely living in the United States. The idea of being different is a common theme in children's literature, although having the main character be Iranian definitely sets it apart. When the book really started to grab my attention is when it started to bring in the Iranian Revolution in a way that makes sense for young readers. I will be the first to admit that I am not all that knowledgeable about that part of history, and this book was like a lesson in what happened in the late 1970s.
When the Iranian Revolution hits and the subsequent hostage crisis, Cindy's family deals with the fallout of being Iranian in the United States. Her father loses his job due to the political unrest, her teachers want her to be able to answer questions about what is happening in her country that she doesn't have answers to, and some people start to treat her poorly and play nasty pranks. This was true to what was happening in the late '70s, but it also felt too close for comfort to things that are going on in this country right now.
The book continues to go between the political issues abroad and social issues for Cindy's family in the United States.There are so many wonderful aspects of this book. Whether it be the free history lesson of a period that many adults don't fully understand, the true to life notions of trying to fit in when your customs and background are different from those around you, and wanting to be the hero of your own family when they start to face their own struggles, this book has a little bit of everything and it is handled with humor and heart-felt emotion.
Through it all, Cindy keeps in mind advice from her father: “Kindness is our religion and if we treat everybody the way we would like to be treated, the world would be a better place.” -
This was such a great book! I loved the characters and their personalities, the only character that annoyed me and made me want to stop reading was Zomorod's/Cindy's mom. but it was overall such a good book and was very enjoyable. :)
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My daughters and I just read It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel together. My oldest read it first and loved it so much that she suggested we all read it together. It was an incredible book and a very poignant reflection on our current fragmented social and political climate. Even though it takes place in the 70s, we can see that some things have improved and sadly some haven’t. The narrator is a wonderfully intelligent and optimistic Iranian girl. The plot follows her trials and tribulations as she attempts to find quality friends and acceptance, while also being the intermediary between her parents and the culture clash they all must endure. The Iranian hostage crisis during the Carter administration spurs a sudden mob mentality against Iranians. The comic relief was threaded nicely into the plot, the characters were well developed, and the overall tone of the book was that of acceptance and open-mindedness. It’s a bit of a bumpy ride for this family but in the end, things tie up nicely. There’s a good spectrum of characters to help break down and explore the volatility of the times and the writing was just right to keep everyone more than entertained. —Jon (
https://www.bookish.com/articles/frid...) -
My 12yr old thoroughly enjoyed this book and insisted I read it.
I can now see why he liked it so much! It was laugh outloud funny while still being a serious book set during the late 70s at the time of the Iranian hostage crisis - a period of time which I lived and remember very well.
The writing was so well done; it brought back a lot of the news of the time for me - our neighborhoods' trees were covered with yellow ribbons for the hostages and only after they were freed, did the ribbons come down.
The author says that the story is autobiographical. The story is about a family that has left Iran for California actually two times and it chronicles their life in the United States during a turbulent time for their home country. At the core is an 11yr old girl (novel spans several years) as she navigates through junior high school; doing her homework, making friends, trying to fit in. -
This book is monumentally important. It is heart-breaking and inspiring. It is honest. It is hysterical. Most importantly, it gives the reader so much more than another finished book on a shelf. I laughed as "Cindy" struggled to fit into middle school, remembering how I struggled to fit in, as well. I hid tears as her family is thrown into a deepening depression at the hands of racism and hate, thinking of how today's political climate is too much alike to that of the 1970's and 80s.
I will encourage everyone I know to read it. This story is one that all children, and most adults, should have to read. It is exquisitely relatable, and I would be hard-pressed to find a better way to express to children the importance of community, openness, love, and support. This book gives me a renewed hope. Maybe it really ain't so awful, Falafel. -
I read this one to my 10-year-old son. I was just a couple of years younger than he is now during the Iran Hostage Crisis, the time period for this middle grade historical fiction, and found this book as interesting as he did. This story of an Iranian middle school student living in California in the 70s is a perfect balance of serious, important themes and laugh-out-loud funny moments and imagery. I plan to give this one to my 14-year-old to also read and to get at least one of the two documentaries recommended in the "Author's Note" to watch with my family. This is a great read aloud. I definitely recommend it.
