I'm Not a Terrorist but I've Played One on TV by Maz Jobrani (2015)

An Iraqi student gave me this very funny and spot-on book by comedian Maz Jobrani. He was born in Iran, but grew up in America, so very American. In one sense his is the typical immigrant story of parents expecting their children to become lawyers and dealing with them when he decides to take a different path to happiness and success. But it is different because he is a Middle Easterner and all the stereotyping that goes along with that. As the title indicates, he has been asked to wear turbans and play terrorists, which he now refuses to do. He has dealt with profiling - and his own fear of being profiled. I was glad to hear him share his thoughts around 911 and the precarious state for all Middle Easterners after that. He has married a woman from India to add to the wonderful melting pot of America.

Maz is funny. He has taken really heavy topics and covered them in a humorous, easy-to read and digest way. I broke out in laughter on more than one occasion. What surprised me was that he has performed in the Middle East and is a great hit there. I would expect that he would have to find the balance between being funny and offensive there, but obviously, he has found the right tone and they love him, bootleg DVDs of his performances and even kings have come to see him. Humor is tricky, and I have to say that there are a lot of comedians and types of humor I don't like, but I would actually like to go see him perform. Looks like he is in Chicago in March. Maybe...