With a Little Help from My Friends

Page 33:

"Another neighbor, a kindly old lady who taught me how to take care of indoor plants, asked whether we had many cats back home. My father, with his uncanny ability to forge friendships, said, "We don't keep pets in our homes. They are dirty." "But your cats are so beautiful!" our neighbor said. We had no idea what she was talking about. Seeing our puzzled expressions, she showed us a picture of a beautiful, long-haired cat. "It's a Persian cat," she said. That was news to us; the only cats we had ever seen back home were the mangy strays that ate scraps behind people's houses. From that day, when I told people I was from Iran, I added "where Persian cats come from." That impressed them."

I like this passage because it's funny, and really brings out the book's uniqueness. I love how confident Firoozeh is when she begins to add "where Persian cats come from." She doesn't really care what others think of her, and is fairly laid back. She's intrigued by the Americans, and seems to take all of the peculiar things they say and think about Iran in stride. Despite all of the inaccurate assumptions about Iran and Iranians, she doesn't let it bring her down, and that shows just how strong Firoozeh is.

Page 35-36:

"My mother was particularly sad to return to Iran. I had always assumed that she would be relieved to return to her family and to a land where she spoke the language and didn't need me to act as her interpreter. But I realized later that even though my mother could not understand anything the crossing guard, Mrs. Popkin, said, she understood that this woman looked out for me. And she understood her smiles. Even though my mother never attended a Brownie meeting, she knew that the leader, Carrie's mom, opened up her home to us every week and led us through all kinds of projects. No one paid her for this. And my mother knew that when it had been my turn to bring snacks for the class, one of the mom's had stepped in and baked cupcakes. My best friend Connie's older sister, Michele, had tried to teach me to ride a bike, and Heather's mom, although single with two daughters, had hosted me overnight more times than I can remember. Even though I had been the beneficiary of all the attention, my mother, watching silently from a distance, had also felt the warmth of generosity and kindness. It was hard to leave."

This paragraph really stood out to me, because there's so much kindness being directed toward Firoozeh and her family. People are going out of their way to help them out. They know that they're having a hard time with the American culture, and are trying to make their lives easier. I think that Firoozeh's mom was extremely grateful for everything their American friends did for them. She didn't take it for granted, but was truly grateful for their kind acts. In Iran, people thought of Americans as selfish and disrespectful to one another, yet Firoozeh and her family realized that not all Americans are like that; some are extremely kind and generous, and it was because of this, that Firoozeh's mom was hesitant about returning to Iran.