I always made sure to put them back in the exact order in which I had found them, for fear of losing the privilege of browsing in my uncle’s library.

My dad says you don’t see tanks and guns on parade in America because democracy keeps the country together, not fear of the military.

I knew what he was thinking. Thanks to Mickey, I had been elevated from child-who-can’t-learn-to-swim to child genius. The.

I realize that Original Cindy is a compass, but instead of pointing north, she points to “horse story.

If I had one son and one daughter and could only educate one of them, I would educate my daughter. You know why? A girl without an education has no power; she is always at the mercy of others.

And Iranians never forget. You can’t say my Aunt Jila’s name without someone saying, “You mean the one who burned her rice?” That happened before I was born and even I know about it.

Elinor Lipman is to tweets what Shakespeare is to sonnets.

During our stay in Newport Beach, the Iranian Revolution took place and a group of Americans were taken hostage in the American embassy in Tehran. Overnight, Iranians living in America became, to say the least, very unpopular. For some reason, many Americans began to think that all Iranians, despite outward appearances to the contrary, could at any given moment get angry and take prisoners.

To all the kids who don’t belong, for whatever reason. This one’s for you.

Despite a few exceptions, I have found that Americans are now far more willing to learn new names, just as they’re far more willing to try new ethnic foods... It’s like adding a few new spices to the kitchen pantry.