“I wanted what Homa had. I wanted her family. Her living father, her kind mother. I wanted her fat, edible baby sister. I wanted the warmth and safety of her home.” LoveMotherFatherFamilyFriendsEnvyParentsSisterSiblings Book:The Lion Women of Tehran Source: The Lion Women of Tehran
“True, in the very early hours and days of prison what fuels me is anger. But after ... I am made of grief. I now scratch the surface of my anger and peer beneath the skin of it and find only a well of sadness so deep there seems no way out.” GriefSadnessAnger Book:The Lion Women of Tehran Source: The Lion Women of Tehran
“I had assumed [her] bravado was masking deep pain and suffering. But as we sat in that hospital room, I realized [her] bravado wasn't masking her pain. It was because of it. She would fight. Always and forever.” PainSufferingFight Book:The Lion Women of Tehran Source: The Lion Women of Tehran
“The truth is, my young lady, that fate has written the script for your destiny on your forehead from the very beginning. We can't see it. But it's there. And the young, who love so passionately, have no idea how ugly this world is....This world is without compassion.” Life Lessons Book:The Stationery Shop Source: The Stationery Shop
“... I look at you ... and I wish for you not the world, nor the owning of it, nor even success in it. I wish for you the ability to be free. And I hope that you experience some moments so tender and dear that they make up for a thousand harsh ones. Remember above all to always love. Love madly.” LoveFreedom Book:The Lion Women of Tehran Source: The Lion Women of Tehran
“When I am surrounded by books, I feel most at peace.” BooksBook Lovers Book:The Lion Women of Tehran Source: The Lion Women of Tehran
“Now that she was here, she realized there were no huge teacups in which people sat and laughed, but the people still spun endlessly.” American Life Book:Together Tea Source: Together Tea
“She knew how to swing her legs on that hyphen that defined and denied who she was: Iranian-American. Neither the first word nor the second really belonged to her. Her place was on the hyphen and on the hyphen she would stay, carrying memories of the one place from which she had come and the other place in which she must succeed. The hyphen was hers-- a space small, and potentially precarious. On the hyphen she would sit, and on the hyphen she would stand, and soon, like a seasoned acrobat, she would balance there perfectly, never falling, never choosing either side over the other, content with walking that thin line.” Immigration Literature Book:Together Tea Source: Together Tea