BOOK REVIEW: IT AIN'T SO AWFUL, FALAFEL

World events - Iranian representation - Family - Fitting in - Friendship

Author: Firoozeh Dumas

Genre: Middle-Grade Fiction, Humor

Page Count: 370

Trigger Warnings: Mentions of Racial Discrimination against Iranians, deeply involved in Iran and U.S relations in 1968

"My dad always says that kindness is our religion, and if we treat everyone the way we would like to be treated, the world would be a better place."

"Who would have ever thought that a person could be so powerful, then so completely powerless all in the same lifetime?"

The year is 1968, and Zomorod, going by Cindy, Yousefzadeh is moving to Newport Beach -- a new home, a new school, new friends. Though the prospect of moving is not unfamiliar to Zomorod, she still finds herself getting nervous and anxious in anticipation of her new, awaiting life. With the tensions between Iran and America rising during this time period, Zomorod finds it hard to gain trust from her fellow peers, as being an Iranian at this time does not always guarantee her safety and respect. Throughout this novel, we can see Zomorod's attempts to fit in and make her stamp on the world unfold, all while distinguishing how she deals with the anti-Iran sentiments pound on her back.

This book delves into the rising Iranian and American tensions of 1968, where the Shah fell out of power and many Iranians took refugee in America. The story is told from the standpoint of the main character, Zomorod, or better known as Cindy, Yousefzadeh, as we learn about her different opinions on the subject matters at hand, and how she, as an Iranian, in this disrupted time, is learning to accept herself and her struggle to open up to a world that doesn’t seem to accept her.

Throughout the entirety of this novel, Cindy manages to find a way of her Iranian culture seeping into every part of her life, and when everything comes tumbling down into shambles, Cindy finds almost every aspect of her life taking an inadvertently different direction that she intended. Cindy’s struggles to get through middle school with the anti-Iran sentiments that shadow her constantly -- setting the stage for a deep and beautifully layered character. And while all of these are facts that hold to be true, Cindy, along with the myriad of other characters, were the one aspect of the book that I found difficult to connect with. As much as I wanted to resonate with them, I couldn’t, as they all felt bland, too one-sided, and just as I was about to be presented with a newer, fresher side of a character, they'd resort to their old ways, or the author would switch cameras from the given person. Maintaining interest in the book was its own dreary journey, especially as none of the characters seem to interest me, purely because none of them felt human. Humans are not stoic, everlasting creatures -- they are creatures that change, they are more flexible and more susceptible to change than not, especially one that might dealing with traumatic events, such as the conflict between Iran and America in 1968. Some of the other characters seemed to have also disappeared throughout the novel, such as Rachel and Howie, as I remember seeing less of them as the story went on. The only friend of Cindy's presently and largely mentioned in the story was Carolyn, the only character that seemed to push me through this book. With her dreams and goals of working toward being a world-famous journalist, Carolyn makes mistakes and counters back from them, she feels and she thinks like a real human, providing a huge breather from these otherwise stoic characters.

The plot of this story turned out to be a lot better than the characters that accompanied it. Though it took a while to get the train rolling, Author Firoozeh Dumas eventually weaves the real-life events occurring between the drudgery of U.S and Iran in 1968 into this novel, all while palpably stating what Cindy thinks of the life-changing world-event and formidably states how terrible Iranians were treated during this time period. I imagine much of this story is derived from Dumas' struggle as an Iranian during this time, as she stated herself that, "This book is a semi-autobiographical novel", and she does a perfect job of captivating the struggles of being Iranian in America at that time, not only for herself and other teens, but for Iranians all throughout the nation, capturing perfectly how so many of those suffering were not being treated as righteously as they should be. She explains the loss of several jobs once news broke out, the times her and other Iranian children were bullied for their religion and culture, and how so many families felt hopeless and helpless under their new, profound shift in the spotlight of America.

Though these were all terrible things that one should never have to experience, I have to say, it was a thrill seeing the way Firoozeh Dumas incorporated the events of 1968 into the story, and I commend her for her handiwork on that aspect of this novel. This book taught me most about the unfair rules and trials Iranians were put under throughout this difficult time, and because of this, their perseverance, their bravery as they fought for their rights, the person they are, and the parts of them they can't change outshone the rest of the novel. Taking a stand for yourself is hardest when you know there's no one behind you. Still, like family and friends, they stuck through this obscene time, and because they did, because they didn't back down, it added a layer of authenticity that was lost upon the characters in the novel.

While the aspect of Iranian struggles and discrimination is presented strongly and stood out front forth in this novel, this book also brings a more moral and hopeful message to the table. While learning more about the Iranian culture was an interesting enough topic to draw me into the novel, this book also left me with a resonating message, and that message being to abolish any stress hinging you down in life, especially if the cause of that stress is something you can't undergo control over. As seen throughout the novel, Cindy's family frantically follows the news, reading about the Shah's loss of power, then the Iranian refugees being held hostage, and these events rid them of their peace of mind from day to day. But though it is unhealthy, the family finds that they can't do much more than fuel this frantic state of mind. They listen to the news from hour to hour, day to day and struggle to think about much else, and it is only till we near the ending of this book that Cindy realizes this anger and this stress only downgrade her mental health and peace of mind. This fuel drives her to drop the heavyweight of this unnecessary stress from her life, and it is only when she realizes there is no power in her hands to control this, can she let it go.

This book taught me to unhand the stress of things that I eventually am powerless over.

A capturing novel that depicts several issues faced in the past with Iranians and Americans, problems that still underlay our nation to this day.

Characters: 2/5

Plot: 4/5

Pacing: 4/5

Overall: 10/15

Recommend for fans of 'Darius the Great Is Not Okay' by Adib Khorram.

Review by Shreeya Goyal