Americanized: Rebel without a Green Card

Reading Check and Short Answer Questions on key points are designed for guided reading assignments, in-class review, formative assessment, quizzes, and more.

Introduction-Chapter 4

Reading Check

1. Saedi opens her memoir by describing a scene from 1993. In what American city is her family’s home?

2. What Iranian political figure does Saedi regard as a hero who nationalized the oil industry?

3. Who rose to power in Iran following the Iranian Revolution, thus introducing Islamic law into the country?

4. The word “Iranian” refers to a nationality. To what does the word “Persian” refer?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What event causes Saedi to understand that she and her family are undocumented immigrants?

2. One of Saedi’s Canadian friends believes that all immigrants should enter the country with green cards. How does Saedi react to this belief?

3. Saedi lacks self-esteem in middle and high school. What factors are most detrimental to her self-esteem at that time?

4. What are the three stereotypes of Persian parents that Saedi describes that her own parents did not conform to?

Paired Resource

“What People Get Wrong About Iranian-Americans”

• In this brief video from AJ+, Iranian Americans break down the common misconceptions and myths about the Iranian and Persian communities.
• Combating ethnic and national stereotypes is a kind of Political Activism, a topic Saedi explores in Americanized.
• Which misconceptions that the interviewees spoke of surprised you most? Which do you think Saedi might also deal with in Americanized?

“Q&A with Sara Saedi, I Miss You I Hate This”

• In this We Need Diverse Books interview with the author, Saedi discusses her new YA novel I Miss You, I Hate This and fields questions about her life, background, and process as a writer.
• Saedi seeks to combat stereotypes—again, a form of Political Activism and Resisting Oppression—through the protagonist of the book, a young Mexican American girl named Gabriela.
• In what ways did Saedi’s Iranian American background help her in creating the character of Gabriela?

Frequently Asked Question #2-Chapter 8

Reading Check

1. According to Saedi, what movie is the reason so many Iranians dislike actor Sally Field?

2. What does Saedi’s acronym “ICGS” stand for?

3. In what country is Saedi’s grandmother (Maman Farideh) born in the year 1926?

4. Saedi describes her most memorable fight with Kia, her younger brother. What is the main reason for this argument?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. What is Saedi’s father’s attitude toward teenage drug experimentation, especially regarding marijuana?

2. What are some of the hardships that Farideh faced over the course of her life, which, now in old age, make her difficult to live with?

3. As Saedi answers in FAQ #3, why do Iranians keep watering cans in their bathrooms?

Paired Resource

“There’s a Better Way to Wipe: With a Bidet”

• This New York Times article explains the cultural history of bidets and how they touch upon racialized ideas of hygiene and cleanliness. (Subscription may be needed to view.)
• This article, like Saedi’s narrative, aims to debunk harmful ethnic stereotypes, which may be connected to a larger goal of Political Activism and Resisting Oppression.
• How do you think Saedi would respond to the article author’s assertion that the bidet is “colonizers’ tech”?

Frequently Asked Question #4-Chapter 12

Reading Check

1. In a traditional Iranian marriage celebration, what is the sofreh aghd?

2. How many first cousins does Saedi have?

3. What type of product is sold in the retail store where Saedi’s parents work alongside one another?

4. After a period of being unhoused, Saedi paints a new mural for her bedroom. What does she title the mural?

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. Why does Saedi not understand the concept of a “family reunion”?

2. In 1992, Saedi’s parents divorce. Why do they do this?

3. In Chapter 11, Saedi considers herself to be a “product of incest.” How is this so?

Paired Resource

“What Combining a Persian and Irish Wedding Looks Like”

• This 7-minute video by Refinery29 profiles the wedding of Rambod and Kelly, which highlighted a fusion of Persian and Irish cultures.
• At the start of the video, Rambod says that they are more impacted by culture than religion which influenced their wedding ceremony.
• What do you think Saedi would say about the merging of cultures here? How about her parents? Do you think they would be approving or disapproving?

Frequently Asked Question #6-Afterword

Reading Check

1. America uses the Gregorian calendar to mark time; what calendar does Iran use?

2. On what condition does Saedi’s mother promise to buy Saedi her dream dress for junior prom?

3. Which US President holds office while Saedi writes the majority of Americanized?

4. At what age does Saedi finally become an American citizen?

5. In the Epilogue, what 2009 Iranian political movement does Saedi discuss? 

Short Answer

Answer each question in at least 1 complete sentence. Incorporate details from the text to support your response.

1. In 1925, Iran switched their calendar system to align with the pilgrimage of the Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina—thus, the year 1925 became 1303. How does this calendar decision mirror a discrepancy with Saedi’s own personal history?

2. Why is Slash an important relationship for Saedi? How does he help her along in her evolution, romantically speaking?

3. Saedi expresses frustration at the inordinate amount of time she spends in immigration offices to apply for legal residency. What frustrates her about the system?

Recommended Next Reads 

Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas

• Published in 2004, Funny in Farsi is a New York Times bestselling memoir that chronicles Firoozeh Dumas’ immigration from Iran to Southern California in 1972.
• Like Saedi, Dumas uses Humor as a Narrative Device, especially when discussing difficult issues like alienation and prejudice in America.
• Dumas and her family deal with many of the same issues in their coming-to-America story; and their bond, as a family, is strengthened by these trials and tribulations. 
• Funny in Farsi on SuperSummary

American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures by America Ferrera

• American Like Me is a collection of first-person essays by actors, comedians, athletes, politicians, writers, and other prominent figures on growing up in America with deep connections to more than one culture.
• Certain essays in the collection rely on Humor as a Narrative Device to communicate their stories, and Political Activism and Resisting Oppression is a common theme throughout all the essays.
• The stories in this collection deal with the push-and-pull that comes with growing up in a bi-cultural environment, as Saedi is torn between Iranian and American cultures.
• American Like Me on SuperSummary