Story of the author's family history, focusing on his grandparents' lives in their native countries of Egypt and Tunisia, and how it was they ended up in Los Angeles. Contextualizes their lives in the history of the middle east & North Africa. Contains a great many personal stories and details about daily life in early to mid-20th century Tunis & Alexandria. Focuses on Jewish Arabic culture and its long history. A main idea of this book is that many of the religious divisions of the Arab world were created as part of divide & rule strategies by European colonial powers, including the Zionist movement. Makes me want to read further about Ottoman & pre-colonial era North Africa.