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More About the Author
Product Description
Jonathan Coe
Told with enormous compassion and the most unexpected dry wit ... What a painful and joyous voyage of discovery!
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
'I absolutely loved it. Heartbreaking and wonderful. He writes beautifully' - Maggie O'Farrell 'Could not be more enjoyable, engaging or moving' Observer 'About real secrets, in a real quest for understanding. It's tragic, funny and disturbing. It will challenge you, and may even change you' - Carole Angier, Independent 'Hilarious, engaging, tragicomic' - Meg Rosoff, Guardian "Gripping and entertaining, horrifying and tender ! Exposes all those things we take for granted as we grow up' - Hardeep Singh Kohli, The Times
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
48 of 48 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having grown up a Jat Sikh boy in a working class British family I found I could relate to so much of this book, it's probably the first ever written by someone of our demographic that has received so much praise and I understand been nominated for several prizes. Sathnam's story is as well written as his articles in the Times and Financial Times. His words seem to have the power to capture your imagination while occasionally making you laugh out loud. During several chapters I actually found myself laughing out loud uncontrollably on the tube much to my fellow passengers' amusement. The book also delves into more serious issues around his family's struggles with mental health that left me gasping for air and feeling grateful for the life I had... If you think you're family had issues growing up then reading this will definitely bring you back down to earth! My favourite chapter was the excellent description of the arranged marriage dating process which I can only say is one of the most accurate descriptions of modern day second generation Asian life in Britain and Sathnam continues to add his intellectual dry wit at every occasion. I also respect that he has bought out in the open a number of controversial issues with our community from superstitions to the caste system and social integration problems that apply to not just the Sikh community but many other Asian immigrants in the Western world. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to read something original, thought provoking and horizon widening.
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have just finished reading this book and found it such a good read that I felt compelled to share this view with anyone thinking of purchasing it.
I am not a fan of the memoir genre but the reviews of this book made me curious and so I purchased it. I laughed and cried when I read it and I was struck by how Sanghera has managed to write a book about his life as a British Asian and yet manage to captivate a much wider audience than this with his tales of growing up in the 1970s and 80s.
The tale of the schizophrenia afflicting his father and sister is tragic and yet full of hope and pride.
This is not only a journey through his past to understand these illnesses but a journey for Sanghera to discover who he is and become more comfortable with this. He does this with such engaging humour that you are full of the admiration his mother must feel for her son.
I am not a fan of the memoir genre but the reviews of this book made me curious and so I purchased it. I laughed and cried when I read it and I was struck by how Sanghera has managed to write a book about his life as a British Asian and yet manage to captivate a much wider audience than this with his tales of growing up in the 1970s and 80s.
The tale of the schizophrenia afflicting his father and sister is tragic and yet full of hope and pride.
This is not only a journey through his past to understand these illnesses but a journey for Sanghera to discover who he is and become more comfortable with this. He does this with such engaging humour that you are full of the admiration his mother must feel for her son.
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Regular readers of Sathnam Sanghera's column in The Times will already know him for the eloquent and witty wordsmith that he is. It is interesting to learn therefore that he is carved of illiterate parents that speak not a word of English.
Sathnam grew up in a traditional Sikh working class family in Wolverhampton and emerged from it into his middle class media lifestyle in London. He tries (sadly fails) to find true love whilst all the time returning home regularly to endure his mothers plans to arrange him in marriage to a Sikh girl of the "right" caste.
Out of a need to bridge this yawning gap in his double life, Sathnam resolves to write a letter to his mother declaring that he will only marry for love and rejecting her notion of his destiny. The letter forms the penultimate chapter of the book; his mother's response the dénouement.
Sathnam's story is sensitive, thought provoking and most definitely laugh out loud funny. It had me by the end of paragraph one.
The only problem with this book is that it has to end. It's written so beautifully I wanted it to just not stop. Sadly I won't have the delight of reading this great book for the first time ever again. You have that treat ahead of you, so grab yourself a copy, curl up and enjoy!
Sathnam grew up in a traditional Sikh working class family in Wolverhampton and emerged from it into his middle class media lifestyle in London. He tries (sadly fails) to find true love whilst all the time returning home regularly to endure his mothers plans to arrange him in marriage to a Sikh girl of the "right" caste.
Out of a need to bridge this yawning gap in his double life, Sathnam resolves to write a letter to his mother declaring that he will only marry for love and rejecting her notion of his destiny. The letter forms the penultimate chapter of the book; his mother's response the dénouement.
Sathnam's story is sensitive, thought provoking and most definitely laugh out loud funny. It had me by the end of paragraph one.
The only problem with this book is that it has to end. It's written so beautifully I wanted it to just not stop. Sadly I won't have the delight of reading this great book for the first time ever again. You have that treat ahead of you, so grab yourself a copy, curl up and enjoy!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Funny, sad, interesting and entertaining!
My brother bought this book and I borrowed it. Being from a Sikh family, growing up in the 80's I could fully relate to this evocative book by Satnam Sanghera. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Preet5
Brilliant!
I had no idea what I was reading when I started this book - I thought it would be a funny tale of life in a Bangladeshi family in Wolverhampton. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Lucinda Webb
Review from Wolverhampton
I loved this book! It provided such an insight into a culture different from my own, but left me feeling that we all have so much in common... Read more
Published 5 months ago by M. Burns
Wrong Impression
After reading the intro to this book i was disgusted to find how insulting the author was to sikhs, he obviously didn't like the religion - maybe because he was pressured when he... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Sonny
Unputdownable - a real insight
I couldn't put this down and took it from room to room with me. I didn't know what to expect at first which was actually quite good as had I known about the subject matter I may... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Mrs. Fiona Wilton
Crying in a good way
I didn't expect to be so blown away by this book, but it was really beautiful and moved me in a big way. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mrs Momo
Excellent Book
I could not put this book down once I started reading it. It was heart wrenching at times but also had lots of humour. Really well written.
Published 9 months ago by MsKaur
If You Don't Know Me By Now-A Must Read
I saw this book in my local charity shop, and knew the author via his column in The Times, but, after reading it, I'd of happily paid full whack for it! Read more
Published 10 months ago by J. Wiltshire
Not quite up to the hype
I read this as a book group choice so perhaps it wasn't something I would have naturally picked up. But I loved the first few chapters. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Lirael
laugh or cry - did both!
a brave and clever writer - he has given a voice to many experiences and feelings i encountered growing up in 1970's/ 80's wolverhampton - im really looking forward to my kids... Read more
Published 14 months ago by jussi
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