Firoozeh Dumas’ books “Funny in Farsi,” “Laughing Without an Accent,” and “It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel,” have explored her

personal immigrant experience and are hailed as gateways to many conversations and insights about our shared humanity, immigration, language, family and identity. She was a finalist for the prestigious Thurber Prize for American Humor, which she lost to Jon Stewart. She is the only Middle Easterner ever to be considered for this honor. Firoozeh has traveled the world reminding us that our commonalities far outweigh our differences.