Product Description

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 travellers, 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3802 in Books
• Published on: 2009-07-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Review
"written with an admirable lightness of touch and a novelist's eye for comic detail" --Stephanie Merritt, The Observer

"Charming and funny, I loved reading it." Jonathan Ross --Jonathan Ross

Review
"filled with laughter, wonder and compassion...It plunges us into the vibrant heart of a loud, loving Iranian family and vividly recreates the experience of being a child torn between vastly different cultures"

About the Author
Shappi Khorsandi was born in 1973 in Tehran and moved to London with her family in 1976 who were exiled after the revolution of 1979. She studied drama at university and has now been a stand-up for over ten years. She has performed all over the world including her annual sell-out run at the Edinburgh festival. She has appeared on countless radio and television programmes including Just a Minute, The News Quiz, The Now Show, Mock the Week, Live at the Apollo, Question Time and Newsnight Review. She lives in West London with her husband and son.

Customer Reviews

Absolutely brilliant - I couldn't put it down!
I'm often a little wary of books written by comedians, they don't always tend to be very good at it. This is a total exception though. Shappi perfectly captures the voice of her child self and you find yourself looking upon her world through a 6 year olds eyes. Her story is touching and funny, but also incredibly accessible. A must read for anyone.

I cried from cover to cover!!!!
Absolute genius. I bought this book for 3 reasons:

1) I'm a massive Shappi fan
2) I'm half Iranian
3) I needed something to help me procrastinate from the masses of coursework I have to complete

I started reading at 9pm whilst waiting for Big Brother to start and was so absorbed by the time 9.25pm came that I forgot to even switch on the TV. I was crying with laughter, crying tears of joy for all the sad bits, and cried just a little bit more as the hilarious stories of growing up with Iranian parents (in my case, just the one Iranian influence) reminded me of my own childhood.

Recommended to ANYONE, but beware of getting so hooked that you read the WHOLE thing in one sitting....it's now 5.23am and I just had to share my joy now that I've finished.

RAVING REVIEW FOR SHAPPI.....Fan-bloody-tastic!!!!xx

Excellent read
A life story of a refugee growing up in a new, unfamiliar world and language trying to live a normal life. The story in littered with humourous comments and observations. Warmly recommended.