Beyond Beliefs
Beyond Beliefs
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Beyond Beliefs by Sohail Husain
'Beyond Beliefs' is a compelling and extraordinary true story spanning The First World War, The Great Depression, The Partition of India and The Holocaust. This epic memoir recounts the story of Sohail Husain's parents and grandparents, whose lives were engulfed by momentous events of the 20th century. His parents, Karola and Afzal, were separated by birthplace, race, faith, language and age, but their common experience of unimaginable upheaval and loss ultimately brought them together. Their love story was complicated and unconventional, but enduring. 'Beyond Beliefs' is a testament to human spirit overcoming tragedy and adversity. Sohail's evocative prose delivers a deeply personal insight into his family's journey that spans continents and cultures. It exposes the horrific consequences of war and violent extremism, and the struggles faced by immigrants and refugees, still very relevant today. In places distressing, frequently emotive and sometimes amusing, this powerful thought-provoking homage reveals amazing discoveries, astonishing coincidences and history repeating itself.REVIEWED ON AMAZONCO.UK
Nigel
***** Faith, Hope and Humanity
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 March 2024
This memoir is about Sohail Husain’s parents, his mother, a German Jewess who evaded the Holocaust and his father, a Muslim from the Punjab. After his parents died, he realised that his children and grandchildren knew little about their grandparents. He wrote a piece about them. Kith and kin were intrigued and urged him to find out more. He never imagined it would take six years, involve scouring archives in four continents, reading 600 plus letters in Urdu, English, German and ‘Sutterlinschrift’, an old form of handwriting. He found and met elderly contemporaries of his parents who knew them when and where they grew up and how they lived, to record their memories and anecdotes.
The narrative takes us from the German trenches in Picardy to the Marriage House near Amritsar, the Great Depression that caused huge upheavals across the world, from Nazi oppression that forced his mother to flee to London and, after working as a domestic, became a Nippy at a Lyons Corner House, and to the Partition of India. Husain’s father was born in east Punjab, in India before Partition, migrated to west Punjab in Pakistan after.
This intriguing narrative is researched meticulously from the perspective of two people caught-up in the triumphs and tragedies of their times. They met in London, married in Karachi and raised a family back in London. Father determined to be an entrepreneur. He traded Chinese and Indian handicrafts, joss sticks, ornaments and perfume and hair cream that he concocted in his garage, on street markets in London. Husain’s mother was the keystone that kept the family together through times of largesse and austerity, emotional and financial.
Husain, a researcher by profession, does not allow himself to slip into the role of social or romantic commentator. What he writes is about the who, why, what, where and how it happened to his much-loved parents. A highly commended memoir of hope and happiness in these troubled times of conflict between Muslims and Jews.
REVIEWED ON AMAZON.DE
Dr. Zlatko Penzar
***** So honest, you're captivated by family tragedies, love, perseverance, and optimism!
Reviewed in Germany on 14 March 2024. Translated from German.
What fascinated me in this book: this is a personal, almost embarrassingly honest, story about a man in search of the roots of his mother and father's families, which could hardly be more different: The mother, a German-Jewish girl, flees to England just before the last door to rescue was closed — a few days before the start of the Second World War! The father, of Indo-Muslim origin, from a highly esteemed, educated family, whose own father, however, led a mysterious life and went into hiding as an immigrant in South America. This globetrotting streak apparently continued in the author's father, who lands unplanned in London following the entry ban in an Argentinean port. There he meets the author's mother and a wonderful love story ensues. Both uprooted, beggar-poor, try hard to find their way in the new, foreign environment, where they experience many economic setbacks and new beginnings. Both the family tragedy of the mother, whose parents had not made it out of Germany and ended up in gas chambers in Auschwitz, as well as countless problems that the couple had to experience due to the very different cultural environment of European Jews and Pakistani Muslims, could all be overcome through their persistence and lasting, deep love.
REVIEWED ON AMAZON.CO.UK
Amazon Customer
***** A True Story for Our Times
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 March 2024
Having some experience of family history research myself I am in awe of the amount of work undertaken by Sohail to produce such a detailed, lucid account of his family and their lives.
This book is so well written with meticulous research presented in a very readable format accompanied by supporting images and footnotes.
Historical background events are also recorded to give a comprehensive story of Sohail's family and the times they lived through.
Sohail is a skilled researcher and story-teller. But this is a true story and in view of events taking place in today's world this is a must-read book.
Mrs. P
***** Karola and Afzal: a moving tale of love between two very diverse cultures in time of war.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 March 2024
This is the most formidable volume I have embarked on for some time; yet from the first page I found it a compelling read. This was in no small measure due to the engaging writing style of the author and the degree of detail he provided in setting the scene in which the story unfolded. It is clear that much research went into the changing political and social history during the lifetimes of both families. There was much supporting information in diagrams, extracts, photographs and maps which made the story so personal. I especially liked the extracts from letters which passed between Karola and Afzal during their times apart. These transcended any cultural differences you might imagine could exist between a young Jewish woman and a devout Muslim young man. Their love and perseverance through a myriad of difficulties during and after World War 2 and beyond can only give us all hope that people of different cultures and religions can not only live peaceably together but may even share their lives.
There has never been a more opportune time to read this inspiring story of a Jewish/ Muslim family so beautifully told.
REVIEWED ON WATERSTONES.COM
Leonard Bates
***** Very enjoyable
REVIEWED ON AMAZON.CO.UK
John Archer
***** Long but very readable. Moving account of escape of Jewish mother from Nazi Germany
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 6 April 2024
The authors academic success and career is remarkable when you hear of the turbulent life of his parents and grandparents. His mother was a tough but loving star, a Jew escaping Nazi persecution, finding love and a fragile life in Britain with a Pakistani Muslim, and then coping with life in Pakistan in a family with another wife to share. Beautifully written with many quotes from loving and emotional letters, the story is a "feel-good "one with good triumphing over evil and love over everything. The family now is an example to us all when inter cultural, and inter religious conflict grabs all the headlines.
REVIEWED ON AMAZON.DE
Homi
*****
Reviewed in Germany on 6 April 2024
As an immigrant myself from the subcontinent, I found it fascinating to read the true stories of a family just one or two generations before my time.
I am in awe at the tremendous effort the author has put in to find out what happened, and the level of research required to determine the facts. All that across a couple of hundred years of time and 3 continents of culture and space
A very readable account. A book which I picked up on a Thursday and didn’t stop reading until I’d finished the 500 odd pages on Monday.
REVIEWED ON AMAZON.IN
Akash Basu
***** True story of young couple whose families witnessed key events of the 20th century.
Reviewed in India on 25 April 2024
Verified Purchase
This is a fascinating account of a true story of a young German woman and Indian man whose families experienced the major events of twentieth century- two world wars and partition of India. The author (who is the son of the two main characters) has painstakingly recovered the story through letters, archival materials and conversations with survivors. It is a vivid picture of that tumultuous period of history while at the same time a love story that survived many odds. A must-read!
REVIEWED ON AMAZON.CO.UK
Ken Hedley
***** A true story which, unfortunately, is being repeated in so many ways today.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2024
Beyond Beliefs is an outstandingly well written and intriguing book. It records the lives of 2 generations of two disparate families, one with roots in Germany and the other in India. The turbulent experiences of members of both families are by turn, horrifying, tragic, surprising and inspiring, as they encounter war, religious persecution, cultural differences, a pandemic, a world-wide financial collapse, poverty and the loss of loved ones. It's the product of painstaking and excellent research. It's a very good read and I highly recommend it not least because it's pertinent to the world today.
REVIEWED ON AMAZON.CO.UK
Amazon Customer
***** An incredible true story, meticulously researched
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 May 2024
This is an incredible, true story that centres on the lives of Afzal and Karola in London, migrants from very different parts of the world – and the author’s parents. The story is so unusual. The author’s engaging writing style hooks you from the start, but the richness of the story comes from the meticulous research and the insights from so many personal letters, detailing the lives, losses and loves the families experienced. The author also weaves into this highly personal story the historical events unfolding around the globe – including the first world war and the partition of India. This book reminds us – at a time when the world sorely needs it – of the importance of love, kindness and tolerance in the face of conflict and adversity.
Amazon customer
***** A captivating and emotional read set against a detailed historical backdrop
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 May 2024
This was an enthralling read about the lives of the author's parents and grandparents. At its centre, 'Beyond Beliefs' is an incredible love story that sees the author's parents navigate continents, religions and social-economic challenges to be together. But beyond that, the story provides great insight into some of the most tormentous times in global history. Every strand has been meticulously researched by the author themselves, and is written in such an engaging manner that each of the 500-black-and-white pages paints a vivid and colourful picture for the reader.
Extract from a book group report
Taken from a local U3A group newsletter
In April we read “Beyond Beliefs” by Sohail Hussain. It tells the story of Sohail’s parents Carrola and Afsal, who were separated by birthplace, race, faith and language. Their story was complicated and unconventional but enduring. A testament to human spirit overcoming tragedy and adversity. This is a factual story but written without any judgement on the various aspects of the story. Although this wasn’t an easy read, most of us enjoyed it, and found it incredibly informative, especially on the trials the Jews had in obtaining compensation from the Germans after the war. The amount of research Sohail made to write the book was mind boggling.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781915200495 |
| ISBN 10 | 1915200490 |
| Title | Beyond Beliefs |
| Author | Sohail Husain |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Partnership Publishing |
| Year published | 2023-10-27 |
| Number of pages | 520 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |