Americanized: Rebel without a Green Card

Chapter 1 provides a political history of modern Iran. Sara begins by explaining how to pronounce Iran correctly, not as “i-RAN” but as “e-RON” (9). Next, she describes the accomplishments of Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, whom she regards as a hero, “a democratically elected leader, and a progressive” who “nationalized Iran’s oil industry” in the 1950s (11). Prior to that time, Britain controlled and profited from Iran’s oil industry. In 1953, with help from the United States, the British deposed Mossadegh and installed the ruling monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. As a result of this political coup, the United States and Britain gained partial control over Iran’s oil industry. However, political turmoil ensued; because the lavish lifestyle of Shah Pahlavi contrasted with the poverty of his people, many regarded his wealth and power as ill-gotten. With the help of the CIA and Israel, the Shah established a secret police force, known as SAVAK, that brutally repressed and tortured political dissidents. In 1978, the Iranian people, including Sara’s father, protested their conditions and overthrew the Shah, who went into exile.

Following the Iranian Revolution, Ayatollah Khomeini rose to power and introduced Islamic law, creating the Islamic Republic of Iran. Sara documents the changes to the country as felt by her parents, who were living in Tehran—a city she describes as a “burgeoning metropolis with European sensibilities” (12). During the Shah’s rule, Sara’s unwed mother freely walked the streets of Tehran in miniskirts and with her hair down, while her father took out girlfriends in public. Alcohol and coed parties were not illegal. This changed with Khomeini, who instituted strict dress codes for women, public gender segregation, and the banning of Western movies, music, and alcohol. While many Iranians found these developments oppressive, Sara notes there were benefits to Khomeini’s rule; for example, socially conservative families felt comfortable sending their daughters to school because they and others would be wearing head scarves, the result of which was improved literacy rates.

Sara documents several other important political events, like the 1980 hostage crisis, during which Iranian students stormed the US Embassy, and a war with Iraq over a border dispute. She highlights the importance of 1980 as her birth year, noting that her mother’s labor was induced to avoid unexpected bomb raids. In 1982, fearful for their safety, Sara’s parents decided to leave Iran. They chose the United States because Sara’s father attended college there and had relatives who could accommodate them. Although Iran closed its borders, Sara’s father knew someone who, for $15,000, provided them with passports and special permission to leave the country. They preferred this option to waiting several years for the possibility of obtaining a green card to enter the United States. Sara’s mother took Samira and Sara, and they arrived in the United States on a visitor’s visa. Sara’s father joined them three months later to avoid suspicion from Iranian authorities. When their visitor’s visas expired, Sara’s family applied for political asylum, but, after two years, the US government informed them their application did not exist.

As young children, Samira and Sara constantly fight and bicker with each other. In 1994, Sara enters the same high school as Samira, who is a senior, and their relationship improves. Samira is protective of Sara and makes sure she is treated well. Sara admires Samira’s popularity and confidence at school and becomes a devoted sister. Sara even likes the nickname her sister’s friends give her, “Little Sami,” which she views as “the highest of compliments” (25).

The high school Samira and Sara attend is located in an affluent suburb of the Bay Area, and they enroll using the address of their uncle. Their friends know about the deception, but they do not know Sara and Samira are undocumented immigrants. They worry their friends would judge them harshly if they knew, as demonstrated by one of Sara’s Canadian friends who believes all immigrants should enter the country with green cards—a view that Sara regards as privileged. As she notes, “Her family had the luxury of time on their side, because, well, their lives weren’t in danger” (24).

During this time, Samira and Sara receive employment authorization cards that provide social security numbers, allowing them to work in the United States. Sara explains that in 1984, after her parents’ application for political asylum disappeared, they applied for an “adjustment of status.” Their new application provided a “temporary ‘safe zone’ from getting deported” (28). As Sara elaborates, “Since our applications for green cards were ‘pending,’ the government wouldn’t give us the boot, unless our application was denied” (28).

While Sara appreciates the opportunity to work legally and finds a job at Baskin-Robbins, the actions of her sister preoccupy her freshman year. When Samira decides to travel to Mexico, a risky endeavor for undocumented immigrants, Sara supports her and does not tell their parents. She also helps Samira spy on the disloyal boyfriend of a friend, thus proving her own loyalty. Sara ends the chapter by emphasizing how much she loves her sister and how they remain best friends as grownups.

Sara explains that “Persian” is an ethnicity, while “Iranian” is a nationality. In 1935, the government changed the name of the country from Persia to Iran but, by 1959, accepted both terms. Sara prefers to refer to her ethnicity as Iranian because she thinks Persian sounds pretentious. Nonetheless, she recognizes that some people call themselves Persian because it avoids xenophobic associations the United States government promoted by describing Iran as part of an “axis of evil” following the 9/11 terrorist attacks (37).

Sara’s ninth-grade high school crush, Gideon Wright, teases her for having only “ONE eyebrow” (43). It takes Sara a moment to realize he is referring to the hair above her nose. Sara never considered it an unattractive feature since her mom and aunts always praise her for her pale skin and light-colored body hair. She now realizes that, in comparison to her friends, she has a lot of visible body hair, including a unibrow. Absolutely mortified, Sara wants to pluck the hair, but her mother refuses to let her until she is 15 because plucking eyebrows is considered a rite of passage for Iranian girls.

Sara places the incident in a broader context of Persian beauty norms and expectations. As she explains, “Persians cared the most about (1) family and (2) how extended family members perceived them […] Appearances were everything in our culture” (46). Sara’s mother worries what her relatives will think of her—that she is a bad mother who has forgotten her Iranian values—if she allows Sara to pluck her eyebrows early. Eventually, she relents and, to Sara’s relief, lets her pluck her eyebrows before she turns 15.

Sara emphasizes the importance of self-esteem, which she lacks in middle and high school. Combined with the awkwardness of adolescence, her classmates’ insensitivity and ignorance about the Middle East makes it difficult for her to fit in or feel attractive. She concludes by wishing she could travel back to 1995 and tell her younger self that being different is valuable, and she should not base her self-worth on a person like Gideon. 

Sara’s parents, in her estimation, are “Super Cool” (55), defying the majority of stereotypes about Persian parents. She describes them as “open-minded liberals” who raise their children on principles of trust (55). To prove this point, Sara cites three prevalent stereotypes and explains how her parents do not conform to them.

The first stereotype is that Iranian parents push their children into high-achieving occupations. This is not true of Sara’s parents, who encourage her to follow her own interests and support her endeavors, as seen in Sara’s acting and writing aspirations. The second stereotype is: “Iranian parents are REALLY strict” (62). Sara’s parents value independence and allow their children to stay out late and attend sleepovers and parties, trusting they will make good choices. They want their children to have freedoms often denied to youth in Iran. The third stereotype equates Iranian parents to conservative zealots. Although raised as Muslims, Sara’s parents are atheists and instill these values in their children, even though many of their friends try to convert them to Christianity.

While Sara’s parents are relaxed about their children’s independence, they have limits. They expect their daughters not to expose their cleavage, and they do not understand Sara’s passion for thrift stores and tacky jewelry. They also find it rude when Sara’s friends do not greet them because they value good manners and hospitality. For her part, Sara is shocked when she hears her friends talk back to their mothers; her parents refuse to tolerate such disrespect. Sara writes her parents’ biggest fear is that their children might “abandon the most significant qualities of Iranian culture: our morals, our loyalty to and love for our family, our hospitality, and the life-long desire to be kind and polite to others” (72). They brought their children to America for a better life but also worry that someday their children will not relate to them, which is why they value extended conversations and compromise.