It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just finished Firoozeh Dumas's wonderfully bold, poignant, funny middle-grade novel, IT AIN'T SO AWFUL, FALAFEL, which takes place in the early 1980(s) when Iran was in the forefront of the news due to the Iranian hostage crisis. Young Zomorod yearns to fit in like an "American" in Newport Beach, California, but this is a challenge since her parents are distinctly Iranian-from their accents, to her dad's desire to talk about the oil and Khomeini and the Shah, to the foods they eat. She changes her name to Cindy, finds the right foods, tries to make friends (which she does), but the elephant in the room is that everyone knows they are "different", which becomes a bigger challenge when the 52 diplomats are taken hostage at the embassy in Tehran, and her Dad loses his job as a consequence. "Cindy" has a voice which will charm as she struggles to navigate the slippery slope of living in both worlds, and learning how to love and trust those who are truly friends. A must read!

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