‘A Dutiful Boy: A memoir of a gay Muslim’s journey to acceptance’ by Mohsin Zaidi is a coming of age memoir about growing up queer in a strict Muslim household. Mohsin grew up in a poor pocket of east London, in a devout shia Muslim community. His family were close-knit and religiously conservative. From a young age, Mohsin felt different but in a home where being gay was inconceivable he also felt very alone.
A Dutiful Boy
Outside of home Mohsin went to a failing inner city school where gang violence was a fact of life. As he grew up life didn’t seem to offer teenage Mohsin any choices: he was disenfranchised from opportunity and isolated from his family as a closet gay Muslim.
A Dutiful Boy: A Gay Muslim Memoir. Zaidi grew up in east London in a close-knit but religiously conservative Muslim family. He realised at an early age that he was gay, but coming out felt.
A Dutiful Boy Goodreads
- A Dutiful Boy is a coming of age memoir (published by Penguin) about Mohsin, a Muslim boy growing up in a poor part of London in a strict religious household who has to come to terms with the fact that he is.
- A Dutiful Boy is Mohsin’s personal journey from denial to acceptance: a revelatory memoir about the power of love, belonging, and living every part of your identity. Additional information Weight.
- Jez shares his review of A Dutiful Boy by Mohsin Zaidi one of this year's World Book Night books.
- A Dutiful Boy: A memoir of a gay Muslim's journey to acceptance 4.7 (263 ratings by Goodreads).
But Mohsin had incredible drive and became the first person from his school to go to Oxford University. At university came the newfound freedom to become the man his parents never wanted him to be. But when he was confronted by his father and a witch doctor invited to ‘cure’ him Mohsin had to make a difficult choice.
Mohsin’s story takes harrowing turns but it is full of life and humour, and, ultimately, it is an inspiring story about breaking through life’s barriers.
A Dutiful Boy: A memoir of a gay Muslim’s journey to acceptance
Published in Hardcover (20th August 2020)
Publisher: Square Peg
Language: English
288 pages
ASIN: B07YD4KJQQ
ISBN-10: 1529110149
Guide Price: £9.99 – Kindle Edition | £13.19 – Hardcover
Click to buy Kindle Edition | Hardcover Edition
About the author
A Dutiful Boy Story
Mohsin Zaidi grew up in a devout Muslim community in East London. He was the first person from his school to go to Oxford University where he studied law. Mohsin has worked at a UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague and at the UK’s Supreme Court. Today he is a criminal barrister at one of the top chambers in the country and works on a number of high profile cases. He is an advocate for LGBT rights, BAME representation and social mobility. He is on the board of Stonewall, the UK’s biggest LGBT rights charity and is a governor of his former secondary school.
A Dutiful Boy
Zaidi grew up in east London in a close-knit but religiously conservative Muslim family. He realised at an early age that he was gay, but coming out felt inconceivable, despite his outward success: he studied law at Oxford after attending a failing inner city school where gang violence was a fact of life. Now a top criminal barrister, his engaging memoir of his long road to happiness and acceptance by his family is moving and inspiring. Zaidi is the first mentee to be published through Penguin Random House’s Write Now scheme, which seeks out new talent from diverse backgrounds. Now 20th August 2020.