Interview: Find Another Dream’s Maysoon Zayid

Maysoon Zayid’s funny, inspiring, and heartwarming new book, Find Another Dream, is now available from Audible, with Zayid herself, an actress, dancer, and stand-up comedian, telling her own story.

Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine released the book, about Zayid’s life as a child with cerebral palsy born to immigrant parents who grew up to tap-dance on Broadway, appear on General Hospital and provide commentary on Keith Olberman’s show Countdown. Her philosophy: If your dream turns into a nightmare, find another dream.

In an interview, Zayid talked about the lessons from her family, why it is important to find humor in what happens to you, and why representation matters — but only if it is the right kind of representation.

Your parents have very different approaches to life and to parenting. What was the most important lesson you learned from your father? From your mother?

The most important lesson I learned from my father was to enjoy life. He always had fun. Even when things were looking down, he found a way to laugh. He approached life with love and hope. I’m a lot more cynical but I try to emulate his joy.

I learned from my mother that failure is not an option. She held me to a very high standard and I am grateful because it made me tough enough to battle…