What Is Home, Mum? - by Sabba Khan (Paperback)

About the Book

"Originally published as The roles we play by Myriad editions, an imprint of New Internationalist Publications, Oxford, UK in 2021."--Verso.

Book Synopsis

One of the top ten graphic novels for Spring 2022, as chosen by Publishers Weekly

"Khan debuts with a deeply introspective, elegantly rendered graphic memoir about her experiences, faith, and family in the South Asian diaspora community of East London. . . . It's a powerful debut by a singularly penetrative and eloquent voice." --Starred Review, Publishers Weekly

What do identity, belonging, and memory mean to one young Muslim woman and her family against a backdrop of history?

As a second-generation Pakistani immigrant living in East London, Sabba Khan paints a vivid snapshot of contemporary British Asian life and investigates the complex shifts experienced by different generations within immigrant communities, creating an uplifting and universal story that crosses borders and decades. Race, gender, and class are explored in a compelling personal narrative creating a strong feminist message of self-reflection and empowerment which is illuminated in stunning artwork.

Review Quotes

"A beautiful, ethereal, and architectural meditation on belonging and identity." --Kate Evans, author of Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg

"A breath of fresh air. Beautiful and inviting. Enthusiastically recommended for all, who in a globalized world find ourselves between the local and the global." --Omid Safi, author of Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition

"A great read, filled with joy and heartbreak, touching both the heart and the mind." --Azar Nafisi, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran

"A jewel of a book. Exquisitely moving, almost painfully so. Investigating the architecture of the heart and all the systems that surround it with precision and grace." --Bishakh Som, author of Apsara Engine and Spellbound: A Graphic Memoir

"Breathtaking imagery. Never shying away from the complexities and the pain, but holding this alongside so much hope and love that it feels like magic!" --Ruby Elliot, author of It's All Absolutely Fine: Life Is Complicated So I've Drawn It Instead

"Sabba Khan builds whole vast and delicate worlds on her pages and leads you through them with her big beautiful curious heart." --Danny Noble, author of Shame Pudding: A Graphic Memoir

About the Author

Sabba Khan is a visual artist, graphic novelist, and architectural designer. She is an advocate for increasing working-class black and brown representation in the arts and publishing as well as in architecture and construction. Her work is included in the Eisner award-winning graphic anthology Drawing Power. And she currently lives in East London, in the UK. This is her debut as an author.