Scan barcode
A review by nashwa017
Greetings from Bury Park by Sarfraz Manzoor
5.0
This is one of those books where four stars feel too less and five stars feels like too much, but this memoir made me tear up in two to three different places, and just for that I'm going to be very generous with my rating! 5 stars it is.
This is a memoir of Sarfraz Manzoor, a British Pakistani journalist who moved to the United Kingdom with his family at the age of three. Through non-linear essays, he takes on the theme of growing up in the UK in the 70s and 80s, in an extremely racist environment. Growing up with a family that barely spoke English, Sarfraz highlights what a challenge it was to grow up with a sense of belonging and a sense of identity. His father worked in a factory, while his mother and sister contributed to the British economy by staying home and making dresses for big brands.
Dealing with open racism, finding a place within your own community and trying to be a good Muslim, Sarfraz found someone who gave him comfort and a sense of belonging that person was a musician: Bruce Springsteen.
As someone who loves music and has found a place in it too, I found this book and the author's love of Springsteen deeply relatable. For me, it's Queen and The Beatles who will always invoke emotions in me. This book is an ode and a thank you to Springsteen, as much as it is the author talking about his family and himself. While I'm not an immigrant - having been born and brought up in one country - there are many things I could also relate to especially in terms of sibling relationships.
The author talks about his struggles growing up, fitting in and reconciling with the values of the country he grew up in. It's light reading and didn't require much brain power, but something I definitely enjoyed.
This is a memoir of Sarfraz Manzoor, a British Pakistani journalist who moved to the United Kingdom with his family at the age of three. Through non-linear essays, he takes on the theme of growing up in the UK in the 70s and 80s, in an extremely racist environment. Growing up with a family that barely spoke English, Sarfraz highlights what a challenge it was to grow up with a sense of belonging and a sense of identity. His father worked in a factory, while his mother and sister contributed to the British economy by staying home and making dresses for big brands.
Dealing with open racism, finding a place within your own community and trying to be a good Muslim, Sarfraz found someone who gave him comfort and a sense of belonging that person was a musician: Bruce Springsteen.
As someone who loves music and has found a place in it too, I found this book and the author's love of Springsteen deeply relatable. For me, it's Queen and The Beatles who will always invoke emotions in me. This book is an ode and a thank you to Springsteen, as much as it is the author talking about his family and himself. While I'm not an immigrant - having been born and brought up in one country - there are many things I could also relate to especially in terms of sibling relationships.
The author talks about his struggles growing up, fitting in and reconciling with the values of the country he grew up in. It's light reading and didn't require much brain power, but something I definitely enjoyed.