Hilarious and heartwarming, this memoir is the story of growing up in a strange land where you don't speak the language, everyone smells like milk, and to top it off, the Ayatollah wants you and your family dead
In the tradition of Nancy Mitford'sThe Pursuit of Loveand Gerald Durrell'sMy 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.
Britain’s best young female comic by any yardstick. —Guardian
[Shappi] has a fascinating story to tell, married to one of the warmest, most engaging performance styles I have seen. —Observer
An extraordinary story . . . really funny and warm. —Graham Norton
Shappi Khorsandiwas born in 1973 in Tehran and moved to London with her family in 1976 who were exiled after the revolution of 1979. A stand-up comedian, she has performed all over the world including her annual sell-out run at the Edinburgh festival.
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