Good Muslim Boy by Osamah Sami

I had never heard of this actor/comic/writer before I read this memoir. But now I’ll be looking out for him! Throughout this story I kept checking how old I was and what I was doing in my life while all this was happening to this boy. It was shocking to compare my life, lived in comfortable ignorance, bringing up my kids, hanging out with friends, going on nice holidays, all that stuff, while this kid’s little brother was being blown up on the roof of their house. And that was only a sentence, a mere aside to Osamah’s story. I marvel that he survived Iran, and then I marvel again that he managed to make the life he has done for himself here in Australia. I marvel at his resilience, his honesty and his warmth. The memoir is shocking, sad, heart warming and hilarious. It’s written by a charming, intelligent, funny man, who has lived through things we can only imagine. So many adjectives describing this book! It’s a must read.