Sunday PicNic ~ Dreaming in English (Book Review)

Dreaming in English

by Laura Fitzgerald

Tamila (Tami) Soroush leaves a repressed life in Iran to find opportunity and freedom in the United States. Her plans to find a husband on a visitor’s visa change drastically when she desperately escapes an arranged marriage and rushes into a Las Vegas wedding with Ike Hanson; an American man she truly loves.

Uncertainties build as life in America becomes weighed down with stress and fear. She longs for her parents, who are dominated by fear and won’t leave Iran, worries about her sister’s high-risk pregnancy, is discomforted by her husband’s frustrations, and angered by her mother-in-law’s refusal to accept their marriage as one of love. To top it off, an ominous immigration interview is approaching with a mountain of evidence against her.

Through her struggles, Tami continues to appreciate the freedoms that are hers to grab, liberties never afforded her by Iran’s regime. Yet her dreams of starting a business and a family with Ike turn into a nightmare. She questions if she has the strength it takes to live out her dreams when she discovers living in the land of the free comes with a price and never without a fight.

PROS:  As an American, this book illuminates the things I too often take for granted. Walking in Tami’s shoes clarifies the dreams and struggles of those who weren’t born here. Being born into freedom is a gift we should cherish. Not only does this story demonstrate the struggles for freedom, but entices us to search within ourselves for our strengths, our passions, and our dreams… before it’s too late.

CONS: The story is good, but I found the dialogue tags very distracting.