The Go-Between cover art

The Go-Between

A Portrait of Growing Up Between Different Worlds

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The Go-Between

By: Osman Yousefzada
Narrated by: Mikhail Sen
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About this listen

A coming-of-age story set in Birmingham in the 1980s and 1990s, The Go-Between opens a window into a closed migrant community living in a red-light district on the wrong side of the tracks.

The adult world is seen through Osman's eyes as a child: his own devout Pashtun patriarchal community, with its divide between the world of men and women, living cheek-by-jowl with parallel migrant communities. The orthodox attend a mosque down the road from the prostitutes and pimps. Children balance Western school teachings with cultural traditions.

Alternative masculinities compete with strict gender roles, and female erasure and honour-based violence are committed, even as empowering female friendships prevail. The stories Osman tells, some fantastical and humorous, others melancholy and even harrowing, take us from the Birmingham of Osman's childhood to the banks of the river Kabul and the river Indus, and, eventually, to the London of his teenage years.

Osman weaves in and out of these worlds, struggling with the dual burdens of racism and community expectations, as he is forced to realise it is no longer possible to exist in the spaces in between.

©2022 Osman Yousefzada (P)2022 Canongate Books Ltd. Witty

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Critic reviews

"A beautifully observed and funny book." (Guardian)

"Compelling and humane." (Sathnam Sanghera)

"This is one of those audiobooks that you can't stop listening to, punchy fairytale of determination, ably narrated by the actor Mikhail Sen.'" (Christina Hardyment, The Times)
All stars
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I enjoyed every minute of this book!
It weaves the story of two worlds so beautifully.

Absolutely brilliant

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fascinating insight into life in Birmingham for a Pakistani family. I recommend you listen

fascinating

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Loved everything about this book, as a British Asian I could really relate to some of the stories. The descriptions of Bham really brought everything to life, loved everything about it. Would gladly listen to this again!

Brilliantly written

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Same city, same era but born to Irish immigrants. I loved this biography. I could smell the city, its slums the neighbourhoods. Written beautifully this book opened up a hidden community, it really is a gem!!

Wonderful

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A behind the closed door reveal of another world and culture and religion. As the elders scare and shame, the youngsters reach for a new and accepted life in England. Insightful, concerning and honest - a brilliant portrayal as two worlds collide

Insightful

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Fascinating insight into the Muslim community in Bonsall Green in the 1980's
As a woman, made me very glad I was not brought up in that community. It is so restricting.
Well read but apart from speaking in the Pakistani accent none of the characters sounded as if they came from that area.
Yorkshire, cockney, anywhere but near Birmingham!

Fascinating insight into the community

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Brutally honest, refreshing, raw, gritty funny and sad, all wrapped up into one. A childhood set in a history I recall, left me reminiscent of my own, whilst being reminded of much harsher times. Children were to be seen and not heard.

I finished reading Osman Yousefzada’s autobiography yesterday; I only bought it on Monday night and almost finished it in one sitting. It's the best biography I've read. Osman conveys such an honest and raw telling of a life story from a distant past, yet it was only yesterday when I think back. The well and the bucket quota was simply genius; I laughed myself to sleep as I bookmarked my page.

I am readying myself to meet this prolific man tomorrow, whose accomplishments, I can only awe at. Reading Osman’s accounts of the past described a life that I felt touched upon my own beginnings in some ways. I felt like I stood on the other side of the mirror. Growing up in a community where only streets away an Asian community resided, most of my friends were Asian. We didn’t care about racism, we left that to others. We just had fun and hung out as kids. The past Osman described made me re-visit other, more frowned upon moments too, on this unbridled venture, which left me laughing intensely at times and holding back tears at others. His recollections gave me a few answers from my own past about things that I’d wondered about.

He doesn’t know it, but I’m the person who is going to be his chaperone tomorrow, while he speaks of a life well lived and barriers overcome to my year 10s, who will pick their nose, and shuffle in their seat, and mess about, while their teacher’s back is turned, because something different has been arranged for a Friday afternoon. I’m the librarian.

When he described his desire to read, it took me back to my own visits to the school library and finding all the treasures the library had to offer. I am wondering if I should hide the books though. On the eve of his visit, I give his book 5 solid stars and know that shuffling aside, his message about where he came from and how he soared to the top will have an impact on the students, even if they don’t show it and they won’t.

Brutally honest, refreshing, raw, gritty funny

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Beautifully written, funny and ironic but also very sad. It gave in some understanding of his orthodox community and the position of women. Best book l have read for ages.

Review

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A wonderful memoir with many memorable characters, a young life recounted with intelligence, humour and insight. An eye-opener for us white folk, in the best sense. I hope Osman Yousefzada continues to write… he has a gift for painting pictures with words as he does with fabrics. The narrator was also excellent.

Fascinating and moving account

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