The Boy with the TopKnot by Sathnam Sanghera, Sathnam Sanghera

4.09 AVERAGE

rosie_jacques's review against another edition

4.0
emotional funny reflective fast-paced

nickeal1's review against another edition

4.0
challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

amiablebookworm's review against another edition

4.5
emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
Got into it more as the book went on and I really liked that it took the reader on a journey with the author. I saw another review saying it’s a good thing the author didn’t rewrite it so he came across as more likeable - I completely agree with that. It felt very honest without being exploitative. 

Amazing insight into an unfamiliar culture for me that helped me understand it rather than treating people like zoo animals to be observed. A couple of comments, eg about people being overweight, were a bit jarring, but 2008 was a very different time! I’m sure it would be written and edited differently 15 years later.  

alexisrt's review against another edition

4.0
emotional funny medium-paced
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zarasharif's review against another edition

5.0
adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

emily_burchell7's review against another edition

4.5
dark emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

georgiats's review against another edition

4.75
emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

katykelly's review against another edition

5.0
I saw the title and had to give this a try. Tales of a boy growing up in Wolverhampton? Sold. Born and raised there, only a few years younger than the author. Admittedly I have never been a Sikh, but I was raised with Sikh and Hindu friends and still termed affectionately the 'gori'.

As well as being able to wallow in the local references, I discovered here an honest and moving portrayal of a fairly deprived family struggling with two family members developing schizophrenia and the author's own struggles to open up about his irreligious life and relationships outside of the Sikh faith.

Very open account of Sanghera's family life and very funny. The revelations that Sathnam writes as he discovers them reveal his family history and culture so it's impossible not to learn about Sikhism along the way as well.

For all my Wolverhampton friends especially, but for anyone interested in other cultures as well as mental health, read it!!

highlander2006's review against another edition

5.0
challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

franlouisa_99's review against another edition

3.0
Lovely memoir about life and family and the struggles in between this. It was heartfelt and also explored mental health and illness very well!