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A Beginner's Guide to Acting English
In the tradition of Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love and Gerald Durrell's My Family and Other Animals, comes a story of a young narrator in the midst of her eccentric family. But rather than landed gentry or bohemian travelers, it's a mad extended Iran clan who flee Tehran to 1980s Britain after the fall the Shah. Five year old Shappi and her beloved brother Peyvand arrive with their parents in London—all cold weather and strange food—without a word of English. If adapting to a new culture isn't troubling enough, it soon becomes clear that the Ayatollah's henchmen are in pursuit. With the help of MI5, Shappi's family go into hiding. So apart from checking under the family car for bombs every morning, Shappi's childhood is like any other kids—swings in the park, school plays, kiss-chase, and terrorists.
312 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2009
43 people are currently reading
1468 people want to read
About the author
Shaparak Khorsandi
8 books153 followersShaparak "Shappi" Khorsandi (born 8 June 1973) is an Iranian-born British comedian.
The daughter of Hadi Khorsandi, her family was forced to flee from Iran to London after the Islamic Revolution following the publication of a satirical poem her father composed. The poem was perceived as being critical of the revolutionary regime. Shappi was raised without any religion.
Khorsandi graduated from the University of Winchester in 1995, with a degree in Drama, Theatre and Television, then moving onto pursue a career in comedy. In 2010, the University honoured her by awarding her an honourary doctorate.
Khorsandi was married to fellow comedian Christian Reilly, by whom she has a son named Charlie. They divorced in 2010. She lives with her son in west London near Richmond Park. Her father and brother are also stand-up comedians.
Khorsandi performs stand-up comedy, having been a noted performer at Joe Wilson's Comedy Madhouse throughout 1997. She has appeared on many BBC Radio 4 programmes, including Quote... Unquote, Loose Ends, You and Yours, Midweek, Just A Minute, The Now Show and The News Quiz, as well as BBC Television's Have I Got News For You. In July 2009 she hosted her own four-part series, Shappi Talk on BBC Radio 4, examining what it is like growing up in multi-cultural families. She also writes an occasional column for online magazine Iranian.com.
In 2007, she made her first trip to Australia and the Melbourne Comedy Festival with her show Asylum Speaker. She also appeared live on the Australia comedy talk show Rove. Later, she was nominated for best breakthrough act at the 2007 Chortle Awards. In December 2008, she appeared on the BBC stand-up television show Live at the Apollo alongside Russell Kane and Al Murray. She also made an appearance on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow on 20 June 2009, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 26 June 2009 and 8 Out of 10 Cats on 10 July 2009.
Khorsandi's memoir, A Beginner's Guide to Acting English, was published by Ebury Press on 2 July 2009. She performed her show, The Distracted Activist, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 6–31 August 2009.
She was a panellist on Question Time in 2006, and returned on 14 January 2010. During that show, she mentioned that her political support goes to Labour. She performed on the second episode of Let's Dance for Sport Relief 2010.
In 2010, Khorsandi took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March. She appeared as a guest in Genius hosted by Dave Gorman on 31 October 2010. Khorsandi appeared on Channel 4's The Celebrity Bank Job in March 2012 and won £59,000 for her chosen charities.
The daughter of Hadi Khorsandi, her family was forced to flee from Iran to London after the Islamic Revolution following the publication of a satirical poem her father composed. The poem was perceived as being critical of the revolutionary regime. Shappi was raised without any religion.
Khorsandi graduated from the University of Winchester in 1995, with a degree in Drama, Theatre and Television, then moving onto pursue a career in comedy. In 2010, the University honoured her by awarding her an honourary doctorate.
Khorsandi was married to fellow comedian Christian Reilly, by whom she has a son named Charlie. They divorced in 2010. She lives with her son in west London near Richmond Park. Her father and brother are also stand-up comedians.
Khorsandi performs stand-up comedy, having been a noted performer at Joe Wilson's Comedy Madhouse throughout 1997. She has appeared on many BBC Radio 4 programmes, including Quote... Unquote, Loose Ends, You and Yours, Midweek, Just A Minute, The Now Show and The News Quiz, as well as BBC Television's Have I Got News For You. In July 2009 she hosted her own four-part series, Shappi Talk on BBC Radio 4, examining what it is like growing up in multi-cultural families. She also writes an occasional column for online magazine Iranian.com.
In 2007, she made her first trip to Australia and the Melbourne Comedy Festival with her show Asylum Speaker. She also appeared live on the Australia comedy talk show Rove. Later, she was nominated for best breakthrough act at the 2007 Chortle Awards. In December 2008, she appeared on the BBC stand-up television show Live at the Apollo alongside Russell Kane and Al Murray. She also made an appearance on Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow on 20 June 2009, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 26 June 2009 and 8 Out of 10 Cats on 10 July 2009.
Khorsandi's memoir, A Beginner's Guide to Acting English, was published by Ebury Press on 2 July 2009. She performed her show, The Distracted Activist, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 6–31 August 2009.
She was a panellist on Question Time in 2006, and returned on 14 January 2010. During that show, she mentioned that her political support goes to Labour. She performed on the second episode of Let's Dance for Sport Relief 2010.
In 2010, Khorsandi took part in Channel 4's Comedy Gala, a benefit show held in aid of Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital, filmed live at the O2 Arena in London on 30 March. She appeared as a guest in Genius hosted by Dave Gorman on 31 October 2010. Khorsandi appeared on Channel 4's The Celebrity Bank Job in March 2012 and won £59,000 for her chosen charities.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
February 5, 2017
Would it sound very jejune if I say that this book was a delight, a satirical, yet heartfelt memoir? Well if it does, I do not wish to apologise, because I closed it, feeling a level of happiness and homely bonding with a family and author I will never meet, yet will leave behind as family.
Shappi Khorsandi, a well-established stand-up comedian in England, shares her family's story of being Iranian people who were forced to remain in England when the Khomeini revolution broke out. She left Iran as a five-year-old little girl, never to return. Her father was a journalist, a satirist, who was declared personna non grata in Iran and could not show his face after the Shah was ousted. He wrote, as well as distributed, a highly popular newspaper via London reaching all the refugees in die Iranian diaspora worldwide. The aim was to fight for democracy. The Ayatolla Khomeini-regime did not appreciate his satire at all.
It was a coincidence that I would read two Iranian memoirs by female authors in a row. Whatever role fate played (it really is interesting indeed), I am so glad it happened. Both authors, Shappi Khorsandi and Kamin Mohammadi write about the same historical period, both memoirs, both expats living in England. Some events are similar, but there are also difference, coming from two different social classes.
Both books are enjoyable reads. But I must admit that I am so glad I read A Beginnier's Guide To Acting English last. The tone of the book is light, yet with serious moments, and a consistent joie de vivre running through the tale with a warmth and compassion for people splashed in bold all over it.
In the end the reader leaves it behind with a lot more insight into the lives, we did not know exist, of this nation. I, for one, never even knew that Iranians were not Arabian; that the burka/ hejab was forced upon the women who, for centuries, never wore it at all. It was not part of the Persian culture. So, I have learnt a lot from both books introducing culture, customs, etiquette and history to me. And I must say I am impressed with the Iranian history and people. I am also thankful for the insight this book, as well as Kamin Mohammadi's, brought me. The latter included much of the political history of the country as well, and was a more serious take on this beautiful country situated between the Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian Gulf in the south. The emotions were more controlled.
Since Shappi Khosandi assimilated fully into her new life in Brittain, made English friends with the neighbors and in her school, and grew up in a house of laughter and satire, her approach to the book is more open, spontaneous, sharing much more personal information, less constricted by the formal Iranian rules of etiquette than Kamin Mohammadi's memoir. But I did enjoy both books tremendously. I can really recommend them both to anyone. If you do decide to read them, I recommend reading them in the same order as I did. Judging from so many reviews I have read and got to know the people behind it better, I am of the opinion that most of you will enjoy this unexpected 'visit' to Iran (Persia).
Shappi Khorsandi, a well-established stand-up comedian in England, shares her family's story of being Iranian people who were forced to remain in England when the Khomeini revolution broke out. She left Iran as a five-year-old little girl, never to return. Her father was a journalist, a satirist, who was declared personna non grata in Iran and could not show his face after the Shah was ousted. He wrote, as well as distributed, a highly popular newspaper via London reaching all the refugees in die Iranian diaspora worldwide. The aim was to fight for democracy. The Ayatolla Khomeini-regime did not appreciate his satire at all.
It was a coincidence that I would read two Iranian memoirs by female authors in a row. Whatever role fate played (it really is interesting indeed), I am so glad it happened. Both authors, Shappi Khorsandi and Kamin Mohammadi write about the same historical period, both memoirs, both expats living in England. Some events are similar, but there are also difference, coming from two different social classes.
Both books are enjoyable reads. But I must admit that I am so glad I read A Beginnier's Guide To Acting English last. The tone of the book is light, yet with serious moments, and a consistent joie de vivre running through the tale with a warmth and compassion for people splashed in bold all over it.
In the end the reader leaves it behind with a lot more insight into the lives, we did not know exist, of this nation. I, for one, never even knew that Iranians were not Arabian; that the burka/ hejab was forced upon the women who, for centuries, never wore it at all. It was not part of the Persian culture. So, I have learnt a lot from both books introducing culture, customs, etiquette and history to me. And I must say I am impressed with the Iranian history and people. I am also thankful for the insight this book, as well as Kamin Mohammadi's, brought me. The latter included much of the political history of the country as well, and was a more serious take on this beautiful country situated between the Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian Gulf in the south. The emotions were more controlled.
Since Shappi Khosandi assimilated fully into her new life in Brittain, made English friends with the neighbors and in her school, and grew up in a house of laughter and satire, her approach to the book is more open, spontaneous, sharing much more personal information, less constricted by the formal Iranian rules of etiquette than Kamin Mohammadi's memoir. But I did enjoy both books tremendously. I can really recommend them both to anyone. If you do decide to read them, I recommend reading them in the same order as I did. Judging from so many reviews I have read and got to know the people behind it better, I am of the opinion that most of you will enjoy this unexpected 'visit' to Iran (Persia).
June 4, 2025
Fascinating insight into the early life of Shaparak Khorsandi - one of Britain's finest comedians.
Shappi came over with her family before the Iranian revolution and was stranded as a refugee once the Mullahs took over. She tells of a strange mish mash of Iran and home and England at school which is very funny in places. All the while her fathers life is in danger as the regime in Iran doesn't like him taking the P out of them. Very poignant at times as we get a child's eye view of the danger - sort of understanding it but not really appreciating the depth of the problem.
Shappi came over with her family before the Iranian revolution and was stranded as a refugee once the Mullahs took over. She tells of a strange mish mash of Iran and home and England at school which is very funny in places. All the while her fathers life is in danger as the regime in Iran doesn't like him taking the P out of them. Very poignant at times as we get a child's eye view of the danger - sort of understanding it but not really appreciating the depth of the problem.
August 24, 2017
The reason I wanted to read this book was because I like Shappi Khorsandi's stand-up. I find her to be a very funny and clever lady, and whilst this book can certainly attest to that, it still wasn't what I was necessarily expecting. I kind of went into this blind, and was expecting the novel to be more comedic than is actually was.
Whilst I enjoyed this book, and found what she was telling us to be very interesting, and kind of moving as well, I found the balance to be kind of off? There's a lot of things from her childhood, and then the teenage and adult years go by much faster, and skim the surface in comparison.
Whilst I enjoyed this book, and found what she was telling us to be very interesting, and kind of moving as well, I found the balance to be kind of off? There's a lot of things from her childhood, and then the teenage and adult years go by much faster, and skim the surface in comparison.
July 18, 2011
Her stand up is hysterical and I looked forward to reading her book. But it isn't funny at all. It's dry and boring even though a family experiencing culture shock moving from Iran to England is an interesting story. I think she was too young at the time she immigrated to give it much depth.
May 16, 2011
I loved it. I've seen the author on talk shows a few times and she was so funny but kind of dry so I thought I would enjoy her book and I absolutely loved it. This is such a funny, touching story or an Iranian family moving to the UK and hiding from the Ayatollah. Give yourself a whole weekend to read this because you just don't want to put it down. You end up very invested in the people she is writing about. I'll probably end up giving this as gifts at Christmas, that is how much I enjoy it and know others will too.
June 10, 2012
A cliche, but apropos in this case--I didn't get any closure. 99% of the book narrated by young child with no insight--boring at such length, and when not used as a literary technique. Although their lives were apparently in great danger, the frightening aspect of it just got lost for me among the stories of who throws rotten apples at who, who is her current best friend, etc.
No insight from the young, or older, adult. The end was rushed and vacuous.
I didn't know she is a comedian, and you would never guess it from this book.
Barely passable.
No insight from the young, or older, adult. The end was rushed and vacuous.
I didn't know she is a comedian, and you would never guess it from this book.
Barely passable.
July 28, 2020
I loved this book, it is one of the best that I have read in a long time. I initially bought the book thinking it would be about moving to a new country but actually it heavily focused on the impact of the Iranian revolution on Shappi's family. I knew very little about Iranian culture, the Iranian revolution or the Iran-Iraq war but Shappi writes in an informative, interesting way and as a result I feel that I've learnt a lot about Iran and the country's history. It is never presented in a dry, boring manner but with warmth and anecdotes and is a very interesting read.
The first 80% of the book covered Shappi's early years in Iran, moving to the UK, how it felt settling in and missing home and the Iran-Iraq war and how it impacted Shappi in England and her family in Iran, as well as covering her Father's work writing poetry and jokes about the Iranian Government. These were all written with such depth, warmth and compassion that you really were invested in all the people in the book, I wish they were my friends, they all sound so kind and funny.
My only criticism is that I feel the last 20% lacked the depth of the first part and felt quite rushed. The final 20% covered a lot of ground; the family having to go on the run, Shappi moving to secondary school and her struggling to deal with the impact of the plot against her Father. I feel this lacked the depth and detail of the beginning which was a shame as I'd have love to have read even more about the family. I hope Shappi writes a follow up to this as it was a really good read. Highly recommended!
The first 80% of the book covered Shappi's early years in Iran, moving to the UK, how it felt settling in and missing home and the Iran-Iraq war and how it impacted Shappi in England and her family in Iran, as well as covering her Father's work writing poetry and jokes about the Iranian Government. These were all written with such depth, warmth and compassion that you really were invested in all the people in the book, I wish they were my friends, they all sound so kind and funny.
My only criticism is that I feel the last 20% lacked the depth of the first part and felt quite rushed. The final 20% covered a lot of ground; the family having to go on the run, Shappi moving to secondary school and her struggling to deal with the impact of the plot against her Father. I feel this lacked the depth and detail of the beginning which was a shame as I'd have love to have read even more about the family. I hope Shappi writes a follow up to this as it was a really good read. Highly recommended!
October 1, 2010
Really enjoyable book about growing up away from home...and creating a new home abroad. This book and Persepolis are really the extent of my knowledge of Iran (beyond the news of course), but they've both definitely sparked a need to know more. How western influence decades ago created the quagmire we find ourselves in today with Iran. But more than that, this is just a great, funny, and touching book about what it's like for a wee girl to be uprooted from almost all those she loves and taken to an alien and foreign land.
My only problem with it was that I very often couldn't tell how old Shappi was at any given moment. It would've been helpful to perhaps have dates at the beginning of each chapter. Sometimes I thought she was still 8 when she was already 11 and other times I thought she was 15-16 and was only still 13. But that's really my only issue with it and it didn't take away from my enjoyment of her story at all.
Highly recommend to anyone wanting to read a wonderful memoir.
My only problem with it was that I very often couldn't tell how old Shappi was at any given moment. It would've been helpful to perhaps have dates at the beginning of each chapter. Sometimes I thought she was still 8 when she was already 11 and other times I thought she was 15-16 and was only still 13. But that's really my only issue with it and it didn't take away from my enjoyment of her story at all.
Highly recommend to anyone wanting to read a wonderful memoir.
April 20, 2011
I really loved this, much more than I expected to. I kind of picked it up on a whim, and because I'd seen and quite liked some of Shappi Khorsandi's stand-up, but it was more touching and less jokey than I thought it would be. And I just really love stories about what it's like to be a child -- I feel I have forgotten, I'm not one of those adults who's really good at remembering what it's like to be a kid and gets kids, but I guess I spent so much of my childhood reading books about being a kid that I've imprinted on them.
It was funny reading this because I find it difficult to reconcile my mental image of the person in this book with the person in the videos I've seen because the person in the book is an almost completely different side. I mean they're obviously the same person. But -- yeah, dunno. Anyway I very much enjoyed reading this -- a quick, interesting read.
It was funny reading this because I find it difficult to reconcile my mental image of the person in this book with the person in the videos I've seen because the person in the book is an almost completely different side. I mean they're obviously the same person. But -- yeah, dunno. Anyway I very much enjoyed reading this -- a quick, interesting read.
December 11, 2011
After seeing Shappi Khorsandi interviewed on a talk show to promote her book I was expecting the same whimsical tone I experienced watching the interview. There were moments of realization while learning a second culture that caused grins however the political undertones the parents were experiencing were much heavier. This heaviness outweighed the lightness of a story told by a child.
The childhood portion was extensive while the teen to adult years seemed to skim the surface leaving many things unresolved. Maybe I missed something due to picking it up and putting it down so often due to lack of interest.
I may need to pick this book up again when the mood to digest a heavier read arises.
The childhood portion was extensive while the teen to adult years seemed to skim the surface leaving many things unresolved. Maybe I missed something due to picking it up and putting it down so often due to lack of interest.
I may need to pick this book up again when the mood to digest a heavier read arises.
August 29, 2014
Touchingly and endearingly written about Shappi’s growing up amongst extended blood relations in Tehran and then amongst adopted relations in London, this is the kind of immigrant-experience memoir you don’t see very often. Alternating between the hilarious, the banal and the devastating, Shappi’s childhood is like any other, except that she is the daughter of world-famous political dissident who made an enemy of an Islamic tyranny. Highly recommended.
April 2, 2013
I struggled on with this book hoping it would get better. Part childhood memoir part political history of the events in Iran in the 1970s through the eyes of family members. This book doesnt quite make it in either. It has its moments but the "amusing" childhood anecdotes are not quite amusing or entertaining enough and the sections describing events in Iran whilst sometimes poignant feel somehow contrived. I kept feeling this juxtaposition should work but for me it didnt. A near miss.
August 14, 2016
I bought this book, thinking it would be a good, light-hearted and fun holiday read...it was, but it was more than that.
I felt like the author-a comedienne whose work I greatly admire-shared many facets of her existence with us in writing this book. Who could feel anything less than privileged in that situation?
I felt like the author-a comedienne whose work I greatly admire-shared many facets of her existence with us in writing this book. Who could feel anything less than privileged in that situation?
November 4, 2016
This book was recommended by a friend and I enjoyed it from the first paragraph. It was really funny yet poignant too describing the Iran Iraq war from a personal perspective. You really got to know Shap the protagonist and loved finding out about her life. It was very heartwarming and also hilarious, laugh out loud in places. A good read.
July 12, 2023
I liked this. It was entertaining and pithy. I thought it was emotional while being amusing, which I like. However, I never think non-fiction is as good as fiction... at points, it read like a series of anecdotes, rather than one smooth story with an arc and a resolution. But I would recommend it, great writing and an insight into Iranian culture/history.
September 29, 2016
This book's saving grace could have been better editing, as I spent practically every chapter reading about Shappi's parents and their dinner parties, and it did not go deeper than that, which is a shame unfortunately. What could have been a much better book, ended up mediocre at best.
January 11, 2012
Fascinating and enjoyable read. I was expecting to be entertained, but I ended up knowing more than I ever expected about the Iranian revolution.
June 2, 2012
This was a really funny book. It was about this little girls life with her disfunctional family. and even though it wasnt exactly action packed i still found it very enjoyable
February 19, 2018
A good opening hook: an infant eating the goo out of her snotty nose and flashing her knickers at the author. Very easy to read and entertaining. I liked learning about Iranian culture and history, which I knew next to nothing about and there was comic relief throughout, dealing with the heavier subjects. One of my favorite bits is when Shappi's grandma asks her why baby Jesus was gifted a lamb. She offered "Was it to make kebabs?" - in true Irooni style.
This book could have done with a family tree, akin to Dr Zhivago, because there are so many relatives it gets hard to remember who is related to who. Also, a glossary of Iranian words would have been helpful, though Shappi does define most of them in situ, there is a minority she doesn't and you're liable to forget some meanings. I would have liked her to talk more about Iranian history, especially the cause of the Iran-Iraq war.
It is written in the first person from the perspective of Shappi as a young child which I liked. I am quite amazed by the detail, with which she was able to recall all the various conversations, feelings and so on. Unless of course she's embellished with poetic license.
The original title was in fact "English People Smell of Milk", which I feel is better, but her publishers forced her to change it.
This book could have done with a family tree, akin to Dr Zhivago, because there are so many relatives it gets hard to remember who is related to who. Also, a glossary of Iranian words would have been helpful, though Shappi does define most of them in situ, there is a minority she doesn't and you're liable to forget some meanings. I would have liked her to talk more about Iranian history, especially the cause of the Iran-Iraq war.
It is written in the first person from the perspective of Shappi as a young child which I liked. I am quite amazed by the detail, with which she was able to recall all the various conversations, feelings and so on. Unless of course she's embellished with poetic license.
The original title was in fact "English People Smell of Milk", which I feel is better, but her publishers forced her to change it.
April 5, 2020
Another book that had long been sitting on my bookshelf and I hadn't bothered to read. A Beginner's Guide to Acting English presents a young life divided between and navigating two distinct cultures, but unexpectedly does so with humor and tenderness. Khorsandi illustrates her childhood musings and experiences with candor and naivete, allowing the reader access to intimate moments of her formative years growing up in England after arriving from Iran.
The book's strengths lie in Khorsandi's affectionate admiration for her father (93-5, 172), and her insertion of family circumstances as well as familial history in Iran (21-3, 23-9, 42-3, 98-9, 99-101, et al.), as she attempts to concurrently decipher her newfound British reality. I also appreciated Khorsandi's often anecdotal insight into Iranian culture: "Arjeel materialised from someone's pocket. Iranians always have nuts, seeds and dried fruit about them for these sort of emergencies. If you take most Iranian people, tip them upside down and shake them, it is more than likely that a few pistachio nuts, pumpkin seeds and dried mulberries will tip out onto the ground." (33). Per usual (as this is a common wish of mine when reading texts where extensive family members are introduced), I do think that the inclusion of a family tree in the narrative's opening pages would have been helpful to properly keep track of the people mentioned and described throughout.
The text fell short towards the end, as Khorsandi attempted to pack too much into her memoir that was then left unexplored: brief mention made of a burgeoning PTSD-related eating disorder in her early teens (290), a peculiar surge forward in the text's timeline with the inclusion of the birth of her son (305).
Overall, Khorsandi's account was an intriguing and enjoyable enough read to pass the time and gain more insight into yet another unique immigrant experience.
The book's strengths lie in Khorsandi's affectionate admiration for her father (93-5, 172), and her insertion of family circumstances as well as familial history in Iran (21-3, 23-9, 42-3, 98-9, 99-101, et al.), as she attempts to concurrently decipher her newfound British reality. I also appreciated Khorsandi's often anecdotal insight into Iranian culture: "Arjeel materialised from someone's pocket. Iranians always have nuts, seeds and dried fruit about them for these sort of emergencies. If you take most Iranian people, tip them upside down and shake them, it is more than likely that a few pistachio nuts, pumpkin seeds and dried mulberries will tip out onto the ground." (33). Per usual (as this is a common wish of mine when reading texts where extensive family members are introduced), I do think that the inclusion of a family tree in the narrative's opening pages would have been helpful to properly keep track of the people mentioned and described throughout.
The text fell short towards the end, as Khorsandi attempted to pack too much into her memoir that was then left unexplored: brief mention made of a burgeoning PTSD-related eating disorder in her early teens (290), a peculiar surge forward in the text's timeline with the inclusion of the birth of her son (305).
Overall, Khorsandi's account was an intriguing and enjoyable enough read to pass the time and gain more insight into yet another unique immigrant experience.
December 29, 2023
Don’t be fooled by the rather flimsy but misleading title into thinking this is just a light piece of comedy fluff about how a migrant family (Shappi’s family) came to England and gradually learnt the strange new ways of their adopted home. There is much that fits this bill around Shappi Khorsandi’s memoir of growing up in London, but the whole is much more profound and at times dark with much sorrow amidst the happiness and obliviousness of childhood.
It is a moving personal story of one family of migrants split apart by the religious extremism taking place in Iran in the 1970s and how a family copes when some flee to the sanctuary of a new country and some are left behind to face the consequences. It is as relevant now to migrants everywhere fleeing persecution as it was for this one family back then.
Though brimming with happiness and humour it is not always an easy or comfortable read when things take a darker more frightening turn. A quite remarkable memoir, told with compassion and a light touch through the eyes and understanding of childhood. It is also a wonderful tribute to Shappi’s family especially her charismatic father Baba.
It is a moving personal story of one family of migrants split apart by the religious extremism taking place in Iran in the 1970s and how a family copes when some flee to the sanctuary of a new country and some are left behind to face the consequences. It is as relevant now to migrants everywhere fleeing persecution as it was for this one family back then.
Though brimming with happiness and humour it is not always an easy or comfortable read when things take a darker more frightening turn. A quite remarkable memoir, told with compassion and a light touch through the eyes and understanding of childhood. It is also a wonderful tribute to Shappi’s family especially her charismatic father Baba.
September 4, 2020
This first third of this book was really pretty boring. There's such a long focus on that time right around when she was moving to the UK, and she was only like four years old, so there's not really that much to say and it's just padded out for ages with how much she loves her dad and her family is so awesome and stuff. And that's great! I'm glad she loves her family and has a great relationship with them. But it's not really interesting material for a book. But the book did get more interesting as it went on and by the end I enjoyed it a lot. I had never heard of the author when I picked it up, so I didn't know she was a comedian. I think if I had, I would have been more disappointed in it, because it's really not a funny book at all, and my expectations would have been for something funnier. (Not that there is no humor, but it's not front and center.)
July 26, 2022
I love Shaparak Khorsandi’s comedy, so I was super excited when I found out she wrote a few books! This is her first one, and it was warm and it made me cry and laugh, but you can tell it’s her first. While I ultimately really enjoyed it, I very nearly put it down while reading the first half because it repeated itself a bit and it wasn’t delivering on what I thought the contents would be (should have informed myself better, to be honest, so this is a mea culpa). So, to avoid what happened to me, know this: the title is misleading and the author herself has said that she hates it - the sub-title, “The true story of a family on the run in a foreign country… England” is a much more accurate entrée to what the book really is about. I would still highly recommend it.
March 9, 2018
An interesting description of what it was like to be a refugee arriving in London with no English and a family likely to be targeted by a foreign (Iran) regime. Although written by a comedian and reported as a "humorous" book, I found it quite sad. It was generally written with a funny attitude but I had enormous sympathy for Shappi with all the trouble she went through.
I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't think the UK should offer sanctuary to refugees. We should and these people will be grateful and work to pay their own way (and therefore be a benefit to Britain.)
I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't think the UK should offer sanctuary to refugees. We should and these people will be grateful and work to pay their own way (and therefore be a benefit to Britain.)
July 15, 2021
Enlightening and funny
This book was a light easy read which I expected since the author is also a comedian. I thought the book would tell her story growing up in England as an immigrant, which it did, but it also told bits of her parents and grandparents life before she was born which was also interesting. I wasn’t expecting to learn so much about Iran’s recent history. I knew nothing about the revelation or the war so it was enlightening to read about this, especially told from the POV of a child. It was eye opening whilst also being an interesting, light hearted read
This book was a light easy read which I expected since the author is also a comedian. I thought the book would tell her story growing up in England as an immigrant, which it did, but it also told bits of her parents and grandparents life before she was born which was also interesting. I wasn’t expecting to learn so much about Iran’s recent history. I knew nothing about the revelation or the war so it was enlightening to read about this, especially told from the POV of a child. It was eye opening whilst also being an interesting, light hearted read
March 25, 2018
I simply loved this book, a child's perspective on growing up in a strange country after leaving family and their home in Iran. We are all inclined to accept our own cultural references as the norm, while other cultures show us different ways to look at the world. I laughed out loud when Shappi asked a friend's mom for ten fish fingers for lunch, because fish fingers must be really small! A delightful read.
November 23, 2019
The only line that made me snicker in this entire book was on page 276 "Aziz, why do you have skewers in your car?".
I had expected a fun but insightful book, but it's poorly written and lacks a compelling structure or even like... Interesting anecdotes. It's like reading a nine-year-old's diary, it's choppy and delivered with no reflection, interspersed with the odd paragraphs from other family members and other timelines.. for context, I guess? I struggled through it. Would not recommend.
I had expected a fun but insightful book, but it's poorly written and lacks a compelling structure or even like... Interesting anecdotes. It's like reading a nine-year-old's diary, it's choppy and delivered with no reflection, interspersed with the odd paragraphs from other family members and other timelines.. for context, I guess? I struggled through it. Would not recommend.
March 14, 2017
I have to admit I started this book expecting it to be a work of fiction. But as soon as I started, I realized it was her story of integrating into a very different society than that which she knew. I appreciated how she addressed the differences so frankly and funnily! Immigrant stories have lately become one of my favorite genres and this was very well done.
July 4, 2020
I found this book outstanding in places but it didn’t flow as smoothly as it could have done. It could have done with more editing as it was repetitive in places and clumsily jumped in others. Having said that I learnt loads about the history of Iran and enjoyed the child’s perspective on life in London.
August 6, 2025
This was my second attempt at reading this book (the first one being years ago when I was still recovering from the Dutch begrijpend lezen method). It is witty, emotional and heartwarming from time to time. Sometimes a little bit disjointed, but hey, sometimes we all need a bit of chaos in our lives.
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