by AnnSheybani | Feb 21, 2010 | Authenticity, Codependency, Cultural Issues, Match.com, narcissism, personality disorder, Self-Esteem, Sociopathology, Somerset Maugham, The Moon and Sixpence, virgin
“You know,” my Iranian boyfriend said one evening as we lay squished together on his twin bed. “I don’t think I’m the kind of man who could ever marry an American. I just wasn’t raised that way. I always believed that one day I would return home and marry one of my... by AnnSheybani | Feb 1, 2010 | Authenticity, Confidence, Cultural Issues, George Sheehan, Islamic modesty, running, Running to Win
In grade school, I was one of those kids. The kind no one picked for their team. Instead, I lurked on the sidelines with Arlene, a fragile girl who made osteoporosis look sturdy. And Joanne, a chubby thing with an attitude problem. The trouble with me was that I... by AnnSheybani | Jan 19, 2010 | Alcoholism, Amy Tan, anorexia, Authenticity, bulimia, Codependency, Cultural Issues, culture shock, eating disorders, rage, The Joy Luck Club
When I turned thirty, I was angry and unhappy, but didn’t really know it. I figured that niggling feeling, the one I couldn’t really identify, the one that wouldn’t go away, was the natural result of having two little kids, too much time with... by AnnSheybani | Nov 30, 2009 | Alcoholism, Authenticity, Cultural Issues, Faith, Honesty
When I first began writing and presenting my short stories about Iran, people in my workshop class looked nervous. No doubt remembering the fatwa placed on Salmon Rushdie’s head for his Satanic Verses, they asked me, “Don’t you think Iranians might... by AnnSheybani | Nov 22, 2009 | Authenticity, books, Codependency, Dinah Shore, husband, Marabel Morgan, marriage, Self-Esteem, The Total Woman, the Woman's movement, wives
There are some books no twelve-year-old should read. When I was a kid, I liked to watch the Dinah Shore show on the portable TV while my Mom fixed dinner. One day, Marabel Morgan was on defending her book, The Total Woman. This was the mid-70’s, the height of...
