Michael Shaffa’s Reviews > Martyr! > Status Update

The most genuine expression of what it means to grow up as an Iranian in the US: the warmth of family, then the grief, the expectations, the soft reminders of your culture and the way they’re juxtaposed. The whole book pulls you in like a trap, the writing is beautiful and poetic and sweet and tender and then all of a sudden, Akbar snaps the trap shut with a shivering cold line that strikes a blow to your heart.