"Having spent several years in Texas and California as a graduate student, my father often spoke about America with the eloquence and wonder normally reserved for a first love" (Chapter 1, pg. 3.)

"[Nazireh] would speak entire paragraphs without using any verbs. She referred to everyone and everything as "it," leaving the listener wondering whether she was talking about her husband or the kitchen table" (Chapter 2, pg. 8.)

"One attraction that stood apart. . .one that generated near religious devotion: [was] Disneyland. My father believed that Walt Disney was a genius, a man whose vision allowed everyone, regardless of age, to relive the wonderment of childhood" (Chapter 4, pg.17.)

"I was lucky to have come to America years before the political upheaval in Iran. The Americans we encountered were kind and curious, unafraid to ask questions and willing to listen" (Chapter 6, pg. 31.)

"Coming from a modest culture and an even more modest family...