Synopses & Reviews
A blazing new talent's hilarious memoir about coming of age and
coming out in Pakistan, moving to America, looking for love, and falling
in love with himself along the way
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, physical danger,
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--no one else at his all-boys prep school was pirouetting off
their desks, or bullied for their "manboobs," or spontaneously bursting
into songs from
The Little Mermaid. Aijazuddin began to believe his only chance
at a happy, meaningful life would be found elsewhere: America, the land
of the free, the home of the gays. But the hostility of a post-9/11
world and society's rejection of his art, his desires, and his body
would soon teach him that finding happiness takes a lot more than a
plane ticket. Searching for his place between two worlds while
navigating a minefield of expectations, prejudice, and self-doubt,
Aijazuddin discovered, sometimes painfully, sometimes hilariously, that
there are people and places he'd need to let go of to move forward.
Manboobs is Aijazuddin's riotous yet intelligent memoir of
searching for love, seamlessly blending humor, politics, pop culture,
and the bravery required to be yourself. Aijazuddin confidently
announces himself as a sharp new voice in humor with his moving,
wickedly funny reexamination of the American Dream and our search for
home.
Review
"In Manboobs Komail Aijazuddin serves up 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. Komail's story zips and zags
through cultures and continents with undeniable flair, each city setting
the stage for a new act of personal discovery. On this grand tour to
self enlightenment, Komail confronts his inner critics and societal
norms, enigmatic parents, closeted anti-heroes, immigration agents and
blue-blooded families with DNA bombshells — but it's his voice that is
the real revelation. Imagine if wit and wisdom had a baby, and that baby
could write. Reading Manboobs is like being regaled by an
exceedingly charming raconteur who's lived a thousand lives before
dessert. Grab a chai, dive in, and find out why the truest place to come
home to is, and always has been, within ourselves. Curtain up on an
extraordinary tale of self-acceptance and celebration." CYRUS COPELAND, author of Off the Radar
Review
"Manboobs is a vastly entertaining and wickedly funny paean to a
body part, and not just the titular one. Komail Aijazuddin dares us to
go beneath the surface of his life as a queer man coming of age pre- and
post-9/11 in Pakistan, Canada, and the United States. What he asks us
to listen for are the wild syncopation and weird music of his heart. How
to possibly describe this book? Aijazuddin has given us a globetrotting
bildungsroman for the twenty-first century filled with danger, wit,
harrowing escapes, and, yes, musicals. Manboobs proudly assumes its
place on the shelf beside Trevor Noah's
Born a Crime and the works of Christopher Isherwood. Komail
Aijazuddin 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
Review
"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
About the Author
Komail Aijazuddin is a visual artist and writer with degrees from
New York University and the Pratt Institute, who lives and works in New
York City. You can see his work at komailaijazuddin.com.