Chapter Eleven & Twelve & FAQ #6

Summary: Chapter Eleven: I Am a Product of Incest

Sara’s maternal grandmother Mansoureh Naficy, or Maman Soury to Sara and her siblings, graduated from high school, a rare achievement for young women in Iran at the time. At the age of twenty-three, she entered an arranged marriage with a first cousin. The marriage produced three children. But then, at age twenty-eight, Mansoureh fell in love with her husband’s nephew, who was just twenty-one. Mansoureh’s divorce and remarriage scandalized society, and her family disowned her. Mansoureh lost custody of her two older children. Her third child drowned at the age of six. Mansoureh never recovered from this tragedy. She and her second husband had five children, the youngest being Sara’s mother. In spite of many marital problems, Mansoureh and her second husband stayed married for thirty-five years. After her husband’s death, Mansoureh came to California and eventually moved in with Sara’s family.

In California, Maman Soury never learns English, but that doesn’t prevent her from watching her favorite TV shows. She is thrilled to attend a taping of Wheel of Fortune and meet Vanna White in person. Unfortunately, Maman Soury spends long periods of time in the hospital because of her emphysema. She dies on Christmas Day in 1994. In her diary, Sara records her regrets and memories.

Summary: Chapter Twelve: Home, Sweet Homeless

In Sara’s senior year in high school, her family loses their house. Her parents’ luggage business is failing, so they can no longer afford both the mortgage and Samira’s college tuition. The family’s status as undocumented immigrants makes it risky for Samira to apply for student loans. Sara has lived in six different houses in America, but she’s lived in this house for six years. She’s decorated her room with murals and a collage that covers an entire wall. Having to move breaks her heart.

Sara’s family stays with cousins while they look for a new home. Sara decides she’d rather stay with her rich uncle, Dayee Mehrdad. Sara’s father cries at her decision because he thinks Sara feels ashamed of him. Sara, however, lasts for only two days at Dayee Mehrdad’s house. She misses her family, home-cooked Persian meals, and Kia. Sara returns to her father in tears. A month later, the Saedis move into a smaller house that’s farther from Sara’s school, but Sara realizes her family is rich in love.

Summary: Frequently Asked Question #6: Why the hell is it the year 1396 in Iran?

Sara describes and explains the shifts in official calendars during the modern history of Iran. Then she describes the frequent shifts in dating on her own documents, from her birth certificate to her green card to her current driver’s license.

Analysis: Chapters Eleven & Twelve & FAQ #6

The story of Sara’s family leaving their house on Pinewood Drive illustrates the instability that they are forced to endure because of their undocumented status. Sara’s anger at having to move reflects her frustration at how her life as an immigrant differs from that of her peers, who have been able to live in the same houses and neighborhoods for their whole lives, enjoying safety and security that they take for granted. The house on Pinewood Drive symbolizes the first kind of stability that Sara enjoys in the United States. It anchors Sara to an American identity and provides the setting for family gatherings, both of joy and of mourning. The house is where Sara’s family celebrates their secular Christmases, as well as where they mourn the passing of her beloved Maman Soury. The poem Sara writes on her closet door before leaving reflects her unbreakable connection to the house, an extension of her desire to feel like she fully belongs in America even while her immigration status limits her legal rights.