In Nahid Rachlin's memoir, “Persian Girls,” the author describes her life in Iran and later in America as a woman, refusing to accept both Muslim and Iranian cultural norms. This plays an important role in the lives of many characters, who choose the sometimes difficult decision to separate themselves from cultural standards. The characters who are faced with this difficult choice include her brothers Cyrus and Parviz, her older sister Pari, and Nahid herself. Nahid's brothers, Cyrus and Parviz, are sent to America a few years before her. Like many foreign students, they come from a place very different from America. Having been born and raised in Iran, they come from a different culture; they speak a different language and follow a different faith. Their father hopes they will get a better education in America, get their degrees, return to Iran, and let their parents find respectful Iranian girls for them to marry. Living in America makes them wonder if that is their destiny, to follow the traditional norms expected of them. “They were immersed in the culture and even had American friends, who joined us for dinner” (p. 156, Rachlin). The author talks about her brothers, who have adapted to American culture and have American friends. “They both explained that it was difficult for them psychologically” (p. 156). But the author also points out that it is not easy for her brothers to break away from the customs expected of them. It took a long time to adapt to the cues of this new culture. Returning to Iran would be mentally difficult for them. But they adapted to America much more easily than their sister Nahid. Both Iranian law and culture state that when a couple divorces, if their child is... halfway... the father forgives her. for all the "mistakes" she has made in her life, referring to her marriage to Howie and their daughter Leila. He asks her to return to Iran, to visit him before her time on earth ends. By breaking the normal "rules", he took a risk, leaving everything to chance. It was a difficult decision to make, but the hardest decisions are the ones that pay off the most. Throughout the book, Iran's cultural guidelines hinder many characters' dreams and goals. Some choose to follow the rules, others choose to make their own. It is difficult to decide to become the divergent, the one who knows what he wants to do with his life and the one who realizes that he wants more from life, instead of following the established standards. But by breaking the cultural barriers imposed by society, people can choose to be who they really are.