Concealed Quotes

“Pop sealed his lips and frowned, taking no chances, since he believed silence was safest, words were dangerous, people talked much too much. They said more than they should, costing them their self-respect as well as their family’s honor. Pop often said, “Speech is the cause of all maladies.”
― Esther Amin, Concealed: Memoir of a Jewish-Iranian Daughter Caught Between the Chador and America

“Yiddish isn’t your mother tongue, you’re not Jewish!”
― Esther Amin, Concealed: Memoir of a Jewish-Iranian Daughter Caught Between the Chador and America

“Still, I didn’t protest. I didn’t say a word. Talking brought on heavy palpitations and made me sweat. I was nonconfrontational, one might say spineless, but I knew words led to trouble, especially if they angered Mom. She was quick to scream, quick to feel attacked, and quick to counterattack.”
― Esther Amin, Concealed: Memoir of a Jewish-Iranian Daughter Caught Between the Chador and America

“Ma, how could you live that way? Weren’t you scared?” “Vee all scaired and steel vee stay.” Her voice deepened. “Stoo-peed. Vee all stoo-peed!”
― Esther Amin, Concealed: Memoir of a Jewish-Iranian Daughter Caught Between the Chador and America