Listen to a sample
Manboobs
- Author
- Komail Aijazuddin
- Narrator
- Komail Aijazuddin
- Publisher
- Transworld
- Publish Date
- 8 August 2024
- Run Time
- 7 hours 33 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
Not available in your country
We don't have the rights to sell this audiobook where you are. If it's already in your library you can still listen to it in My Books.
What to expect
Brought to you by Penguin.
The hilarious and piercing memoir about growing up gay in a not-so-gay world.
I’m just a man, standing in front of a salad, asking it to be a cake.
What do you do when you’re too gay for Pakistan, too Pakistani to be gay in America and you’re ashamed of your body everywhere?
How can you find happiness despite years of humiliation, fear and a legion of Brooklyn hipsters who know you only as a queer from Whereveristan?
How do you summon the courage to be yourself no matter where you are?
Even as a young child in Lahore, Komail Aijazuddin knew he was different. Other boys didn’t pirouette off their desks, get bullied for their ‘manboobs’ or spontaneously burst into songs from The Little Mermaid. Other boys didn’t play together like that.
Starved of a crucial part of himself, he ate. And ate. Before long, his own body became another burden to carry everywhere and to hide. Komail began to believe his only chance at a happy, meaningful life would be found elsewhere: in America, land of the free, home of the gays. But he would soon learn that finding happiness takes a lot more than a plane ticket.
This is Aijazuddin’s riotous, intelligent memoir of searching for his place between two worlds while navigating a minefield of expectations, prejudice and self-doubt. In Manboobs, Aijazuddin confidently announces himself as a sharp new voice in humour with his moving, wickedly funny search for love and the bravery required to be yourself.
‘An important story, told with a sharp wit and disarming humour’ MOHSIN ZAIDI
‘Vastly entertaining and wickedly funny’ GREG MARSHALL
© Komali Aijazuddin 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024
Critics Review
-
A beautiful celebration of being different. This is a book for anyone who remembers musicals, the 1980s, being bullied for liking musicals, and ‘old souls’ everywhere.
TOM ALLEN
-
Manboobs is an important story, told with a sharp wit and disarming humor. Aijazuddin has the ability to address difficult subjects with thoughtfulness and honesty, while also making you laugh out loud.
MOHSIN ZAIDI, author of A Dutiful Boy
-
Brilliant, spectacularly witty and genuinely moving. I loved it.
MATTHEW TODD, author of Straight Jacket
-
At once both humorous and heartbreaking, his memoir allows his bubbly personality to shine in a story about letting go of shame and finding self-acceptance.
Washington Post
See more reviews See fewer reviews
-
This book is laugh out loud funny. A love letter to self acceptance and the pursuit of confidence. Go get it.
KEVIN JAMES THORNTON
-
A kaleidoscopic journey in search of happiness and freedom—Aijazuddin’s account is hip, engrossing, deeply moving, and remarkably funny.
MANIL SURI, award-winning author of The Death of Vishnu
-
Deeply incisive, the kind of unflinching queer catharsis which takes up the whole stage before burning it down. Something to be really proud of.
OLIVER DARKSHIRE, author of Once Upon a Tome
-
Vastly entertaining and wickedly funny ...Aijazuddin has given us a globetrotting bildungsroman for the twenty-first century filled with danger, wit, harrowing escapes, and, yes, musicals. He just might be the most interesting man you’ll ever take to bed with you.
GREG MARSHALL, author of Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew from It
-
A sharply witty and heartwarmingly candid memoir that pirouettes across Lahore, London, and New York City in a quest for home. Part coming-of-age story, part musical extravaganza, this isn't just a tale about growing up gay in Pakistan with body image woes; it's a masterclass in turning life's dissonance into exhilarating adventure...Curtain up on an extraordinary tale of self-acceptance and celebration.
CYRUS COPELAND, author Off the Radar
-
A fabulously witty book about betrayal by many promises: the American dream, Pakistani and religious nationalism, family, love. Wrenchingly personal, unflaggingly generous to the reader, yet full of penetrating social commentary, this book gives you nowhere to hide even as you split your sides laughing.
SADIA ABBAS, author of The Empty Room
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Komail Aijazuddin
- Narrator
- Komail Aijazuddin
- Duration
- 7 hours 33 minutes
- Release Date
- 8 August 2024
- ISBN
- 9781529950281
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Transworld
- Genre
- Memoirs, Biography: arts and entertainment, Individual artists, art monographs
Synopsis
Brought to you by Penguin. The hilarious and piercing memoir about growing up gay in a not-so-gay world.I’m just a man, standing in front of a salad, asking it to be a cake.What do you do when you’re too gay for Pakistan, too Pakistani to be gay in America and you’re ashamed of your body everywhere?How can you find happiness despite years of humiliation, fear and a legion of Brooklyn hipsters who know you only as a queer from Whereveristan?How do you summon the courage to be yourself no matter where you are?Even as a young child in Lahore, Komail Aijazuddin knew he was different. Other boys didn’t pirouette off their desks, get bullied for their ‘manboobs’ or spontaneously burst into songs from The Little Mermaid. Other boys didn’t play together like that.Starved of a crucial part of himself, he ate. And ate. Before long, his own body became another burden to carry everywhere and to hide. Komail began to believe his only chance at a happy, meaningful life would be found elsewhere: in America, land of the free, home of the gays. But he would soon learn that finding happiness takes a lot more than a plane ticket.This is Aijazuddin’s riotous, intelligent memoir of searching for his place between two worlds while navigating a minefield of expectations, prejudice and self-doubt. In Manboobs, Aijazuddin confidently announces himself as a sharp new voice in humour with his moving, wickedly funny search for love and the bravery required to be yourself.‘An important story, told with a sharp wit and disarming humour’ MOHSIN ZAIDI‘Vastly entertaining and wickedly funny’ GREG MARSHALL© Komali Aijazuddin 2024 (P) Penguin Audio 2024
About xigxag
xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.
There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.
Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.
Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.