Greetings from Bury Park by Sarfraz Manzoor
Sarfraz Manzoor was three years old when he emigrated from Pakistan to Britain in 1974 with his mother, brother and sister. They came to join their father, who worked on the production line at Vauxhall, and settled in the Bury Park neighbourhood of Luton. Sarfraz's teenage years were a constant battle to reconcile being both British and Muslim. Frustrated by real life, he sought solace in TV and music. But it was when his best friend introduced him to Bruce Springsteen that his life changed forever. In this perceptive, affectionate and timely memoir, Sarfraz Manzoor retraces his journey from Lahore to Luton to Ladbroke Grove, from the minor frustrations of his childhood to his response and analysis of the tragedies of 9/11 and 7/7. Original, darkly tender and wryly amusing, it is an inspiring tribute to the power of music to transcend race and religion - and a touching salute of thanks from one working-class Pakistani Muslim boy to the father who died too soon for his son to make him proud.
'This is a tender, funny book, which captures the weirdness of second generation British lives as well as anything else I've readA lot of people will recognise something of themselves in the image of an alienated Pakistani boy wandering round 80's Luton wearing a Springsteen tour T-shirt. I know I did.' Hari Kunzru 'Greetings From Bury Park is a perfect memoir, every bit as funny, sad and lyrical as I hoped it would be ever since rumour spread on the Springsteen devotee's vine of its possible existence.' Emma Forrest 'A fascinating, full-blooded and often funny journey into the heart of darkness - Luton, that is - that you don't have to be a Muslim or a Bruce Springsteen fan to get into. I am neither.' Andrew Collins
Sarfraz Manzoor is a writer and broadcaster. He writes for the Guardian and has also written for the Observer, Prospect, New Statesman, Uncut, the Daily Mail, and Marie Claire. He has written and presented documentaries for BBC2, Channel 4, Radio 2 and Radio 4, and he is a regular presenter on BBC Radio 5 Live. Prior to his broadcasting career, Sarfraz Manzoor was a deputy commissioning editor at Channel 4, and before that he spent five years as a journalist on Channel 4 News. He divides his time between Luton and Ladbroke Grove.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780747577119 |
| ISBN 10 | 0747577110 |
| Title | Greetings from Bury Park |
| Author | Sarfraz Manzoor |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2007-06-04 |
| Number of pages | 288 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |