Azik Chowdhury
Shanti Sadan is a Bangladeshi boy trying to fit in to British society, whilst juggling the values of Bangladeshi society. The essential theme is friendship, and how this allows him to reconcile the difficulties and celebrate the good.
There are many lessons Shanti learns, but the most crucial of these is acceptance of himself, in every form; good and bad.
The story follows a true time line, but the story, it’s characters and their lives, are fiction. They are taken from Azik’s memories of living in those times. Azik points out, “it was important for me to balance the story with kindness, because I have also experienced a huge amount of kindness in my life.”
Azik’s story has an abundance of humour, and he explains, “I wanted to ensure there was humour in the story. It is an important fact about life, that even during tragic times, there is humour. I wanted A Muslim Boy to be very much about the coexistence of joy and pain, of love and hate, of tolerance and intolerance, and finally of acceptance; of oneself and others."
I love this book. An amazing story about a time of intolerance, that thankfully no longer exists. It is about hardships, struggles, broken hearts, but it is also about friendships, love, and humour. The humour is incredible, and it had me laughing out loud. - Saleha Chowdhury
Characters are richly described and brought alive within the pages. There is no sugar coating of the main protagonist but eventual understanding and acceptance of himself. A fantastically entertaining and thought provoking read. - Michael Fallaize
Very well written and a great read. Very poignant, and you feel every emotion of the central character Shanti. The Beppe character is a joy, I wish we all had a Beppe in our lives. -
Linda Ryan