Recent book releases
7th August, 2006
LIFE, LOVE AND ASSIMILATION
Kia Abdullah's debut novel is a raw and unpretentious account of the battles faced by an Asian girl growing up in London. The book's protagonist tackles her brother's drug addiction, her mother's constant disapproval and the patriarchal nature of her culture with fight, zest and humour and makes no apologies for her strong opinions.
The book begins with the family receiving news of the death of a young female member. Through flashbacks the story is told leading through events that have shaped the present. It covers a wide range of topics including religion, politics, terrorism and racism, as well as more traditional themes such as love, sex, friendship and identity.
Are there too many sterotypes? Kia says: "These issues are cliches for a reason; because they happen. The issues discussed in the first half of the book are prevalent in our community and it cannot be said that 'All of these things can't happen to one person' because they do. They happened to me."
The plucky 24 year old British Bengali was born and bred in East London's Tower Hamlets. She graduated from Queen Mary University in 2003 with a First-class degree in Computer Science. After graduating she went on to work as a web programmer and started writing her book.
"I wanted to write a novel that did not sugarcoat what it's like to be last in the pecking order of society; a female member of a racial minority with a faith that is plundered and vilified all across the Western world. I wanted to show what it's really like to be a modern Asian woman caught between two cultures, two minds and two hearts."
After completing it in 2005 she approached several agents but to no avail. It was a copy-editor who finally put her in touch with a contact at a publishing company, after which Life, Love and Assimilation was picked up. She is now in the process of writing her second book which she says is completely different from the first.
Also on Amazon.co.uk
www.kia-abdullah.com
THE UNIVERSE AND THE MAD BUTTERFLY
Pratish Mistry's book is written in a form of Haiku verse and stimulates the reader to discover a new outlook on past experiences and an increased self-awareness. It wants to take the reader on a journey to explore different perspectives on life, spirituality and the world we live in.
He says inspiration for the book was largely drawn from his own life experiences and observations of how he sees things working - both in nature and the corporate world.
"I started the book about two and a half years ago whilst I was based in Prague on assigment and I completed most of it whilst working at T-Mobile International as their Head of Gaming for Europe. The book is a coffee-table type of book which stimulates both thinking and feeling through the verses-illustration combination.
"The subject of the verses cover a diverse range from social issues and animal rights through to spiritual development and self-awareness - subjects most people will be able to relate to at some point in their lives."
Born and raised in South Africa, he has since studied, worked and travelled across the continents. From living the pains of apartheid first-hand to celebrating carnival in the Caribbean and hitchhiking in Colombia, he has no shortage of experiences to draw on for his writing.
He currently lives in London and uses his talents in the corporate arena to fund numerous personal projects and adventures including writing and the development of a meditation retreat.
Also on Amazon.co.uk
info@mystictree.co.uk
MANGO SHAKE
Edited by Debjani Chatterjee, Mango Shake is a sparkling showcase of stories by young British Asian men. "Alive with the pulse of urban culture and true to the complexities of family life," says the publisher.
The lively short stories include: Ole Man's Luck, a tale of a young girl, hibiscus flowers and fishermen from a shoreline where South America meets the Caribbean; Brimful of Hope, in which family loyalties are questioned when the birth of a new baby coincides with other big traumatic family developments; Handsworth Songs, a tale of boy-meets-girl against a backdrop of the sights and sounds and rhythms of inner-city Birmingham; and Simran Kaur, aunty Neeta - with her impressive forearms - gets a job as a bus driver, becomes a local TV celebrity and upsets her big sulking baby of a husband in the process.
Debjani Chatterjee grew up in India, Japan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Egypt and Morocco and now lives in Sheffield. She chairs the National Association of Writers in Education and is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow. She has edited award-winning anthologies such as Barbed Lines and The Redbeck Anthology of British South Asian Poetry. Sheffield Hallam University recently awarded her an honorary doctorate for services to literature.
About the contributors:
Harpreet Singh was born in London and grew up in Birmingham. He is currently working on a series of novels that bounce around the lives of a few Punjabis in England from the 1960s to the present day. Bobby Nayyar was born in Handsworth, Birmingham, and studied French and Italian at Trinity College, Cambridge, and then Comparative Literature at the University of Chicago. He trained at publishers Faber and Faber and currently works at Little,Brown.
Zorina Ishmail-Bobby is originally from Guyana and moved to Britain in the 1960s. A poetry collection, After a Cold Season - Rising, was published in 1988. Anisha Desai began writing when he returned to Birmingham, the city of his birth, having left earlier to study and work. He has a keen interest in mathematics and teaches the subject in Adult Education.
In October 2006 Mango Shake will be heavily promoted as 'Book of the Festival' at Birmingham Book Festival - featuring in various events across the city.
Kia Abdullah's debut novel is a raw and unpretentious account of the battles faced by an Asian girl growing up in London. The book's protagonist tackles her brother's drug addiction, her mother's constant disapproval and the patriarchal nature of her culture with fight, zest and humour and makes no apologies for her strong opinions. The book begins with the family receiving news of the death of a young female member. Through flashbacks the story is told leading through events that have shaped the present. It covers a wide range of topics including religion, politics, terrorism and racism, as well as more traditional themes such as love, sex, friendship and identity.
Are there too many sterotypes? Kia says: "These issues are cliches for a reason; because they happen. The issues discussed in the first half of the book are prevalent in our community and it cannot be said that 'All of these things can't happen to one person' because they do. They happened to me."
The plucky 24 year old British Bengali was born and bred in East London's Tower Hamlets. She graduated from Queen Mary University in 2003 with a First-class degree in Computer Science. After graduating she went on to work as a web programmer and started writing her book.
"I wanted to write a novel that did not sugarcoat what it's like to be last in the pecking order of society; a female member of a racial minority with a faith that is plundered and vilified all across the Western world. I wanted to show what it's really like to be a modern Asian woman caught between two cultures, two minds and two hearts."
After completing it in 2005 she approached several agents but to no avail. It was a copy-editor who finally put her in touch with a contact at a publishing company, after which Life, Love and Assimilation was picked up. She is now in the process of writing her second book which she says is completely different from the first.
Also on Amazon.co.uk
www.kia-abdullah.com
THE UNIVERSE AND THE MAD BUTTERFLY
Pratish Mistry's book is written in a form of Haiku verse and stimulates the reader to discover a new outlook on past experiences and an increased self-awareness. It wants to take the reader on a journey to explore different perspectives on life, spirituality and the world we live in. He says inspiration for the book was largely drawn from his own life experiences and observations of how he sees things working - both in nature and the corporate world.
"I started the book about two and a half years ago whilst I was based in Prague on assigment and I completed most of it whilst working at T-Mobile International as their Head of Gaming for Europe. The book is a coffee-table type of book which stimulates both thinking and feeling through the verses-illustration combination.
"The subject of the verses cover a diverse range from social issues and animal rights through to spiritual development and self-awareness - subjects most people will be able to relate to at some point in their lives."
Born and raised in South Africa, he has since studied, worked and travelled across the continents. From living the pains of apartheid first-hand to celebrating carnival in the Caribbean and hitchhiking in Colombia, he has no shortage of experiences to draw on for his writing.
He currently lives in London and uses his talents in the corporate arena to fund numerous personal projects and adventures including writing and the development of a meditation retreat.
Also on Amazon.co.uk
info@mystictree.co.uk
MANGO SHAKE
Edited by Debjani Chatterjee, Mango Shake is a sparkling showcase of stories by young British Asian men. "Alive with the pulse of urban culture and true to the complexities of family life," says the publisher.The lively short stories include: Ole Man's Luck, a tale of a young girl, hibiscus flowers and fishermen from a shoreline where South America meets the Caribbean; Brimful of Hope, in which family loyalties are questioned when the birth of a new baby coincides with other big traumatic family developments; Handsworth Songs, a tale of boy-meets-girl against a backdrop of the sights and sounds and rhythms of inner-city Birmingham; and Simran Kaur, aunty Neeta - with her impressive forearms - gets a job as a bus driver, becomes a local TV celebrity and upsets her big sulking baby of a husband in the process.
Debjani Chatterjee grew up in India, Japan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Egypt and Morocco and now lives in Sheffield. She chairs the National Association of Writers in Education and is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow. She has edited award-winning anthologies such as Barbed Lines and The Redbeck Anthology of British South Asian Poetry. Sheffield Hallam University recently awarded her an honorary doctorate for services to literature.
About the contributors:
Harpreet Singh was born in London and grew up in Birmingham. He is currently working on a series of novels that bounce around the lives of a few Punjabis in England from the 1960s to the present day. Bobby Nayyar was born in Handsworth, Birmingham, and studied French and Italian at Trinity College, Cambridge, and then Comparative Literature at the University of Chicago. He trained at publishers Faber and Faber and currently works at Little,Brown.
Zorina Ishmail-Bobby is originally from Guyana and moved to Britain in the 1960s. A poetry collection, After a Cold Season - Rising, was published in 1988. Anisha Desai began writing when he returned to Birmingham, the city of his birth, having left earlier to study and work. He has a keen interest in mathematics and teaches the subject in Adult Education.
In October 2006 Mango Shake will be heavily promoted as 'Book of the Festival' at Birmingham Book Festival - featuring in various events across the city.
