Critical Praise

"[Hakakian is] a lyrical storyteller . . . Her moving narrative swings from funny to sad, capturing idyllic scenes of her parents, aunts, and uncles picnicking and interacting with Muslim friends."

——Washington Post

"A spectacular debut memoir . . . Only a major writing talent like Hakakian can use the pointed words of the mature mind to give the perspective of the child. . . . She tackles ideologies of assimilation and oppression with poetic aplomb and precision. . . . Hakakian's tale of passage into womanhood lacks nothing."

——Boston Globe

"Hakakian, irrepressible, brave, and strong-willed, watches in dismay as the country she loves disappears, to be replaced by one that views what Roya most values --- an insatiable intellect --- with profound contempt. Like Anne Frank, she is a perceptive, idealistic, terribly sympathetic chronicler of the gathering repression."

——Baltimore Sun

"Hakakian's intimate anthropology opens a window on one life during turbulent times in the Middle East. . . . This book does us the service of removing some of the region's mythical stereotypes . . . and illuminating a real contemporary culture we would do well to know better."

——Seattle Times