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A funny and poignant comedy about finding your voice, for anyone who has ever dreamed big, from award-winning author and screenwriter Nikesh Shukla.
Madhu is 17 and has the weight of the world on her shoulders: her dad is putting pressure on her to apply to university, she misses her estranged sister but contact is strictly forbidden, and she's pulling in every single shift possible at a pizza place to help support her family. What she really wants, though, is to be a world-famous stand-up comedian ...
Just as she's about to turn her back on this dream a YouTube clip of Madhu goes viral and she is suddenly catapulted into the bright lights of stardom. It's not long before she catches the attention of a fellow Asian comedy legend who offers her the chance of a lifetime.
But the road to comedy glory is not a barrel of laughs - and Madhu's own struggles with her family and identity soon catch up with her. Can she follow her dreams and stay true to herself and those she loves in the process?
Nikesh Shukla
Nikesh Shukla is an author, screenwriter and one of the most prominent UK voices on diversity and inclusion in the arts. He is the editor of bestselling essay collection The Good Immigrant, which won the Reader’s Choice at the Books Are My Bag Awards, and was shortlisted for Book of the Year at the British Book Awards.
He is the author of a number of novels for both adults and young adults including Coconut Unlimited (shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize), Meatspace, Run Riot, The Boxer, Brown Baby and co-editor of The Good Immigrant USA.
Nikesh is the co-founder of the literary journal, The Good Journal and The Good Literary Agency and a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a member of the Folio Academy. He has been awarded honorary doctorates from Roehampton University and the University of Bath. He hosts the 'Brown Baby' podcast which explores how we raise our kids with joy and wonder in uncertain and bleak times.
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