Recommendations based on Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in Americaby Firoozeh Dumas

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother

    by James McBride
    A memoir of a black man's journey to understand his white mother's past and how it shaped his own identity.

    Touches readers of all colors as a vivid portrait of growing up, a haunting meditation on race and identity, and a lyrical valentine to a mother from her son. Who is Ruth McBride Jordan? A ... (Goodreads)

  2. A Girl Named Zippy

    by Haven Kimmel
    A charming account of growing up in rural Indiana, exploring the joys and hardships of life.

    When Haven Kimmel was born in 1965 in Mooreland, Indiana, it was a sleepy little hamlet of three hundred people. Nicknamed "Zippy" for the way she would bolt around the house, this small girl was ... (Goodreads)

  3. Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time

    by Greg Mortenson
    A man's mission to build schools in remote areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan to promote peace.

    The astonishing, uplifting story of a real-life Indiana Jones and his humanitarian campaign to use education to combat terrorism in the Taliban’s backyard Anyone who despairs of the individual’s ... (Goodreads)

  4. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running

    by Haruki Murakami
    Reflections of a runner, exploring the physical and mental challenges of the sport.

    In 1982, having sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing, Murakami began running to keep fit. A year later, he'd completed a solo course from Athens to Marathon, and now, after dozens of such ... (Goodreads)

  5. Who Moved My Cheese?

    by Spencer Johnson
    A parable about navigating change through the eyes of four characters.

    It is the amusing and enlightening story of four characters who live in a maze and look for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in life, for ... (Goodreads)

  6. Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog

    by John Grogan
    A heartfelt journey of a family and their beloved, but mischievous, dog.

    John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of ... (Goodreads)

  7. Paris in Love

    by Eloisa James
    A memoir of a year spent in Paris, exploring the city's culture, food, and romance.

    In 2009, New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James took a leap that many people dream about: she sold her house, took a sabbatical from her job as a Shakespeare professor, and moved her family ... (Goodreads)

  8. Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus

    by John Gray
    A look at the different ways men and women communicate and interact.

    Once upon a time Martians and Venusians met, fell in love, and had happy relationships together because they respected and accepted their differences. Then they came to Earth and amnesia set in: they ... (Goodreads)

  9. Orange Is the New Black

    by Piper Kerman
    A memoir of a woman's experiences in prison, exploring the effects of incarceration.

    With her career, live-in boyfriend and loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the rebellious young woman who got mixed up with drug runners and delivered a suitcase of drug money to Europe over ... (Goodreads)

  10. Desert Flower

    by Waris Dirie
    A harrowing autobiographical account of a young Somali girl's journey from oppression to freedom.

    Waris Dirie ran away from her oppressive life in the African desert when she was barely in her teens, illiterate and impoverished, with nothing to her name but a tattered shawl. She traveled alone ... (Goodreads)

  11. The Story of Philosophy: The Lives and Opinions of the World's Greatest Philosophers

    by Will Durant
    History of the philosophical thought, spanning centuries of influential thinkers.

    A brilliant and concise account of the lives and ideas of the great philosophers, from Plato to Dewey. Few write for the non-specialist as well as Will Durant, and this book is a splendid example of ... (Goodreads)

  12. My Family and Other Animals

    by Gerald Durrell
    A humorous memoir of a family's experiences living on the Mediterranean island of Corfu.

    When the unconventional Durrell family can no longer endure the damp, gray English climate, they do what any sensible family would do: sell their house and relocate to the sunny Greek isle of Corfu. ... (Goodreads)

  13. The Complete Persepolis

    by Marjane Satrapi
    Autobiographical tale of a girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

    Here, in one volume: Marjane Satrapi's best-selling, internationally acclaimed graphic memoir. Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving ... (Goodreads)

  14. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

    by Marjane Satrapi
    Autobiographical account of a young girl's experience of the Iranian Revolution.

    Note: The summary of the English editions of the novel is divided into two sections, one for each book. Persepolis 1 begins by introducing Marji, the ten-year-old protagonist. Set in 1980, the novel ... (Wikipedia)

  15. Wind, Sand and Stars

    by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
    A reflection on the poetic beauty and harsh realities of life as an aviator.

    Recipient of the Grand Prix of the Académie Française, Wind, Sand and Stars captures the grandeur, danger, and isolation of flight. Its exciting account of air adventure, combined with lyrical prose ... (Goodreads)

  16. Not My Father's Son

    by Alan Cumming
    A memoir of a man's journey to uncover his family's troubled past and reclaim his identity.

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “Equal parts memoir, whodunnit, and manual for living . . . a beautifully written, honest look at the forces of blood and bone that make us who we are, and how we make ... (Barnes & Noble)

  17. The Art of Thinking Clearly

    by Rolf Dobelli
    A guide to common thinking errors and how to avoid them, providing practical advice for making better decisions in life and business.

    In engaging prose and with practical examples and anecdotes, an eye-opening look at human reasoning and essential reading for anyone with important decisions to make. Have you ever: • Invested time ... (Goodreads)

  18. You'll Grow Out of It

    by Jessi Klein
    A collection of humorous essays about the author's journey from tomboy to womanhood.

    From Emmy award-winning comedy writer Jessi Klein,, You'll Grow Out of It, hilariously and candidly explores the journey of the 21st-century woman. As both a tomboy and a late bloomer, comedian Jessi ... (Barnes & Noble)

  19. Man and His Symbols

    by C.G. Jung
    An exploration of the collective unconscious, and its implications for self-realization.

    Man and His Symbols owes its existence to one of Jung's own dreams. The great psychologist dreamed that his work was understood by a wide public, rather than just by psychiatrists, and therefore he ... (Goodreads)

  20. Naked

    by David Sedaris
    Collection of humorous essays exploring the absurdities of everyday life.

    Welcome to the hilarious, strange, elegiac, outrageous world of David Sedaris. In Naked , Sedaris turns the mania for memoir on its proverbial ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, ... (Goodreads)

  21. Anne Frank Remembered: The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family

    by Miep Gies
    The brave and moving story of the woman who helped to save Anne Frank's family during the Holocaust.

    The reminiscences of Miep Gies, the woman who hid the Frank family in Amsterdam during the Second World War, presents a vivid story of life under Nazi occupation. ... (Goodreads)

  22. The Consolations of Philosophy

    by Alain de Botton
    A philosophical journey to find comfort in life’s difficulties and joys.

    Alain de Botton's The Consolations of Philosophy takes the discipline of logic and the mind back to its roots. Drawing inspiration from six of the finest minds in history - Socrates, Epicurus, ... (Goodreads)

  23. Running with Scissors

    by Augusten Burroughs
    An autobiographical story of a young boy's difficult upbringing and his unconventional family.

    Running with Scissors covers the period of Burroughs' adolescent years, beginning at age 12 after a brief overview of his life as a child. Burroughs spends his early childhood in a clean and orderly ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood

    by Koren Zailckas
    A memoir of teenage alcoholism and its destructive consequences.

    Garnering a vast amount of attention from young people and parents, and from book buyers across the country, Smashed became a media sensation and a New York Times bestseller. Eye-opening and utterly ... (Goodreads)

  25. Boy: Tales of Childhood

    by Roald Dahl
    A humorous and heartwarming memoir of Roald Dahl's childhood in Wales and England.

    In Boy, Roald Dahl recounts his days as a child growing up in England. From his years as a prankster at boarding school to his envious position as a chocolate tester for Cadbury's, Roald Dahl's ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Prince

    by Niccolò Machiavelli
    A timeless political treatise on the art of acquiring and maintaining power.

    Machiavelli needs to be looked at as he really was. Hence: Can Machiavelli, who makes the following observations, be Machiavellian as we understand the disparaging term? 1. So it is that to know the ... (Goodreads)

  27. Art Through the Ages

    by Helen Gardner
    Comprehensive survey of art history, from prehistoric times to modern day. Includes analysis of major works and movements.

    The market-leading text for the art history survey course, GARDNER'S ART THROUGH THE AGES has served as a comprehensive and thoughtfully crafted guide to the defining phases of the world's artistic ... (Goodreads)

  28. Sh*t My Dad Says

    by Justin Halpern
    Collection of humorous musings and witticisms from an elderly father.

    After being dumped by his longtime girlfriend, twenty-eight-year-old Justin Halpern found himself living at home with his seventy-three-year-old dad. Sam Halpern, who is "like Socrates, but angrier, ... (Goodreads)

  29. All But My Life: A Memoir

    by Gerda Weissmann Klein
    A gripping account of one woman's survival of the Holocaust and her struggle to reclaim her life.

    All But My Life is the unforgettable story of Gerda Weissmann Klein's six-year ordeal as a victim of Nazi cruelty. From her comfortable home in Bielitz (present-day Bielsko) in Poland to her ... (Barnes & Noble)

  30. The Art of Loving

    by Erich Fromm
    Philosophical treatise on the power of love, exploring its various forms and roles in society.

    The fiftieth Anniversary Edition of the groundbreaking international bestseller that has shown millions of readers how to achieve rich, productive lives by developing their hidden capacities for love ... (Goodreads)