The book describes Dumas's move with her family in 1972, at age seven, from Iran to Whittier, California, and her life in the United States for the next several decades (with a brief return to Iran).

The book describes adjusting to the different culture and dealing with her extended family, most of whom also moved to the U.S. in the 1970s.

[1][2] The book was translated into Persian language and became a bestseller in Iran in 2005, selling over 100,000 copies.

[3] In 2008, Dumas followed up Funny in Farsi with a second memoir, Laughing Without an Accent.

[1] In 2009, a pilot episode was filmed for ABC for a sitcom based on the book, also called Funny in Farsi, and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld.