{"title":"Books by Tariq Mehmood","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781804295342","title":"Sing to the Western Wind","description":"\u003cb\u003eA complex, vibrant novel about a man in extremis, and the forces that drive him to the ultimate act of desperation\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA suicide bombing is being planned in Manchester, and Saleem Khan, an atheist, seventy years of age, is carrying the bomb. Also concealed on his person is a cache of vivid, haunting memories – some of regret and yearning, some humorous, others over-shadowed by the brutality of war. Award-winning novelist Tariq Mehmood plunges the reader into the dizzying saga of Saleem’s incendiary history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn the 1960s, he left his lover, his job as a teacher and his home in rural Pakistan and emigrated to Bradford, a town crackling with racism. He found a job in a mill on an all-Asian night shift. He became an active trade unionist and later, when the mills closed down, drove a taxi. But inevitably he is impelled to return to Pakistan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrom Pakistan, Saleem is drawn across the border into the killing fields of Afghanistan. Among Russian soldiers and the holy warriors of the Mujahadeen, he meets Gulzarina, the woman whose life and experiences promise to make sense of Saleem’s own tortuous history.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56306931040629,"sku":"9781804295342","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781804295342_acdf6910-c0b3-4043-8d65-fc3d50d99986.jpg?v=1786026782"},{"product_id":"9781908446688","title":"You're Not Proper","description":"\u003cp\u003eKaren’s dad is Muslim from Pakistan and her mother is white Christian, and Karen feels as if she doesn't quite fit in . . . anywhere. So she's made a choice: she's switching sides. She’s going to convert to Islam to find her true identity.  But Shamshad, her hijab-wearing school mate, isn’t making things easy for her. What's her deal, anyway? Is Shamshad really any more proper than her?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTurmoil erupts as school battles are replaced by family troubles; name-calling turns to physical confrontation, and cataclysmic secrets are unveiled. Set against a backdrop of seething Islamophobia, \u003ci\u003eYou're Not Proper\u003c\/i\u003e shines a light on issues of identity, religion, politics and class affecting young people today.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309072036213,"sku":"9781908446688","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781908446688_637d99e7-2ec2-4575-b8e6-4919c18f88dd.jpg?v=1786029583"},{"product_id":"9781998309276","title":"The Second Coming","description":"In the remnants of a fractured UK, England is on the brink of collapse where far-right militias rise to power. As Islamophobia and English nationalism ignite brutal violence, 19-year-old Marah Sultana is thrust into a fight for survival. Hunted by forces seeking control, she carries a secret powerful enough to change the course of the war-and the future of the world. In a world in which America's reign as a superpower has crumbled, its mercenaries now rule in its shadow,In The Second Coming, Tariq Mehmood delivers a searing, unflinching narrative that mirrors his own lifelong struggle for justice. This novel is not just fiction-it's a reflection of real-world battles. Mehmood's powerful storytelling compels readers to confront uncomfortable truths while offering a gripping, emotional journey of resistance and survival.A dystopian, desi mash-up of The Handmaid's Tale, Clockwork Orange, and V for Vendetta. The Second Coming warns of the dangers of right-wing nationalism and white supremacy and imagines where such hate could take England if it is not, somehow, nipped in the bud. -Paul Cochrane, journalist, Middle East EyeA must-read dystopian fantasy about race, religion, and love. Unmissable - Melvin Burgess, novelist, winner of the Carnegie Medal and the LA prize for Teenage FictionAn unforgettable novel, both vivid and nightmarishly plausible. - Peter Kalu, novelist, storyteller, playwright and poet.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56310000714101,"sku":"9781998309276","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781998309276_1f1b718e-28cf-459e-8b31-a17c5c7d5ecf.jpg?v=1786031582"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-tariq-mehmood.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}