[...]

i like baseball, movies, good clothes, fast cars, whiskey, and you.
what else do you need to know?

johnny depp as john dillinger (public enemies)












in 1979, my family was living temporarily in newport beach, california. our real home was in abadan, a city in the southwest of iran. despite its desert location and ubiquitous refineries, abadan was the quintessential small town. everybody's father (including my own) worked for the national iranian oil company, and almost all the moms stayed home. the employees' kids attended the same schools. no one locked their doors.
by the time of the iranian revolution, we had adjusted to life in california. we said, 'hello' and 'have a nice day' to perfect strangers, wore flip-flops, and grilled cheeseburgers next to our kebabs. we never understood why americans put ice in tea or bought shampoo that smelled like strawberries, but other than that, america felt like home.

firoozeh dumas