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Neurodiversity-books

Reading lists

Books about ADHD, autism, and neurodiversity

7 books about the dark side of growing up

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7 coming-of-age books about the dark side of growing up

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Interviews

The Penguin Podcast: Shappi Khorsandi

Nina is Not OK

A dark, funny, coming of age novel from one of the UK’s leading comedians, perfect for fans of Caitlin Moran

Shappi Khorsandi is both funny and shocking, yet above all writes with warmth, giving Nina an intelligent voice. This girl could be you, or your daughter, or your friend, and I defy anyone not to love the endearing, messed-up Nina as she finds her way out of an alcohol-fuelled hell of her own making.

Breathtakingly honest and laugh-out-loud funny… perfectly captures the anxieties of youth

Khorsandi pulls no punches in her first novel...Equal parts straight-talking, funny and worrying, this is a coming-of-age tale rebooted for the era of social media and slut-shaming.

Absolutely brilliant - funny, dark and terribly upsetting, and the voice is incredibly loud and true...a pure marvel

Astoundingly good. An important, touching, powerful and occasionally funny read

Nina Is Not OK is an entertaining, thought-provoking read...dark, honest, confessional story...shocking, rude and dark ...while being ultimately incredibly moving and hopeful. Nina Is Not OK will have you chuckling, gasping and welling up as you follow Nina's road to recovery and finding out what she needs to do to live the life she wants.

I finished Nina Is Not Ok in one sitting. Funny, sharp, and heartbreakingly honest, this is Rachel's Holiday for young adults

moving, funny and shocking all at once, an almost perfect description of the empty highs and crashing lows of addiction

Shappi Khorsandi’s debut novel, Nina is Not OK, is a moreish read...Shappi’s writing is raw and connective...

Compelling debut novel. Nina is ... a vibrant and lovable character. Relentless in her actions, her inner monologues are full of warmth and w uses her comedy skills to great effect in her debut.

a powerful book and a cautionary tale... it's also a touching celebration of human determination in the overcoming of adversity.

Funny and warm, heartbreaking too. Impressive debut!

emotional, raw, deeply moving and…funny too

...a really rather good YA crossover ... while Khorsandi's novel tackles some pretty big subjects, it does so while making you laugh out loud

I really couldn’t put this book down. It’s not just for young people but if you have a teenage daughter, please make her read it.

I am loving Shappi Khorsandi's Nina is Not OK, she is making me care about 'Nina' so much that I get anxious on her behalf

Shappi Khorsandi is one of the country's finest comedians, having launched herself back in 2006 with her sell out Edinburgh show, Asylum Speaker. 
 
Shappi's career has taken her to all corners of the globe, she has appeared on countless TV &amp; Radio shows including; Live At The Apollo, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Have I Got News For You, QI, The Graham Norton Show and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. She is the author of the bestselling childhood memoir, A Beginner's Guide To Acting English which tells the story of how her family were forced to flee Iran and gain asylum in the UK. 
 
Nina is Not OK is her first novel.

Nina does not have a drinking problem. She likes a drink, sure. But what 17-year-old doesn’t? 
 
Nina’s mum isn’t so sure. But she’s busy with her new husband and five year old Katie. And Nina’s almost an adult after all. 
 
And if Nina sometimes wakes up with little memory of what happened the night before, then her friends are all too happy to fill in the blanks. Nina’s drunken exploits are the stuff of college legend. 
 
But then one dark Sunday morning, even her friends can’t help piece together Saturday night. All Nina feels is a deep sense of shame, that something very bad has happened to her… 
 
A dark, funny - sometimes shocking - coming of age novel from one of the UK’s leading comedians. NINA IS NOT O.K. will appeal to fans of Caitlin Moran and Lena Dunham.

A Beginner's Guide To Acting English

Comedian Shappi Khorsandi's funny and heartwarming memoir about growing up as an Iranian girl in 1980s Britain

Britain's best young female comic by any yardstick

[Shappi] has a fascinating story to tell, married to one of the warmest, most engaging performance styles I have seen

Shappi Khorsandi has been an endearing Iranian voice on the stand-up circuit for a number of years.  This memoir arguably provides a better platform for her wealth of stories

Written with an admirable lightness of touch and a novelist's eye for comic detail

Her book is filled with laughter, wonder and compassion ... It plunges us into the heart of a loud, loving Iranian family and vividly recreates the experience of a child being torn between two vastly different cultures

Funny, charming and dramatic in equal meaure

As entertaining and witty as the woman herself

'Funny, charming and dramatic in equal measure ... this is a heartwarming book - engaging, touching and ... ultimately deeply rewarding'

really funny and warm, just an amazing story

It's 1977 and life in Iran is becoming unpredictable. The Shah will be overthrown and events are about to take place on the world stage. But for five-year-old Shappi Khorsandi all this means is that she must flee, leaving behind a mad extended Iran clan and everything she has ever known. 
 
Shappi and her beloved brother Peyvand arrive with their parents in London - all cold weather and strange food - without a word of English. If adapting to a new culture isn't troubling enough, it soon becomes clear that the Ayatollah's henchmen are in pursuit. With the help of MI5, Shappi's family go into hiding. So apart from checking under the family car for bombs every morning, Shappi's childhood is like any other kids' - swings in the park, school plays, kiss-chase and terrorists. 
 
'An extraordinary story...really funny and warm' 
Graham Norton

Shaparak Khorsandi

'Hilarious, unflinching, but most importantly, wise'

'This is an intensely personal, highly educational and very funny exploration of ADHD. In Khorsandi's own words - 'For God's sake, finish it.''

'Behold ADHD in all its random, funny, debilitating, overwhelming, creative, destructive, (and brilliant) overwhelmingness. Bravo Shappi!'

'A kind, helpful and hilarious guide to neurodiversity told as only Shappi can tell it - required reading for all'

'A-ISLING 
D-EFINITELY 
H-EARTILY 
D-ESIRES YOU TO READ THIS WONDERFUL, FUNNY BOOK BY HER FRIEND SHAPPI.'

'Funny, honest, with open-eyed wit and generosity'

'A compelling read for all scatterbrains and neurotypicals too'

How I finally got off the ADHD rollercoaster and became the owner of a very tidy sock drawer

Some brains, through no fault of their own, pack a bag, turn the lights off and run away to the seaside the moment they are meant to be doing homework, paying bills or not putting the cat in the fridge. These are ADHD brains. I have one and believe they are as common as being left-handed, flat footed or genuinely enjoying anchovies on a pizza. 
 
Undiagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder made my life a frustrating, maddening rollercoaster. I had very little focus except when I was hyper-focusing (and then it would always be on the wrong things), I made the same mistakes over and over again, regularly burning myself out until I was sobbing. When I finally was diagnosed in my 40s it felt like the lights had been turned on after a lifetime in the dark. 
 
Join much-loved comedian Shappi Khorsandi as she looks back on her life through the lens of ADHD and finally makes sense of the chaos. From discovering the joys of shoplifting through to finally understanding her attraction to toxic men, Scatter Brain will have you laughing (and crying) as you find out what it's really like to live a life out of control. Whether you suspect you might have ADHD or you're here to enjoy the ride, let Shappi take you on her hilarious journey of self-discovery where you just might learn something useful about yourself too!

Shaparak Khorsandi

Praise for Scatter Brain

'Hilarious, unflinching, but most importantly, wise'

'This is an intensely personal, highly educational and very funny exploration of ADHD. In Khorsandi's own words - 'For God's sake, finish it.''

'Behold ADHD in all its random, funny, debilitating, overwhelming, creative, destructive, (and brilliant) overwhelmingness. Bravo Shappi!'

'Hilarious, unflinching, but most importantly, wise'

'This is an intensely personal, highly educational and very funny exploration of ADHD. In Khorsandi's own words - 'For God's sake, finish it.''

'Behold ADHD in all its random, funny, debilitating, overwhelming, creative, destructive, (and brilliant) overwhelmingness. Bravo Shappi!'

'Hilarious, unflinching, but most importantly, wise'

'This is an intensely personal, highly educational and very funny exploration of ADHD. In Khorsandi's own words - 'For God's sake, finish it.''

'Behold ADHD in all its random, funny, debilitating, overwhelming, creative, destructive, (and brilliant) overwhelmingness. Bravo Shappi!'

Books by Shaparak Khorsandi

Articles featuring Shaparak Khorsandi

Books about ADHD, autism, and neurodiversity

7 coming-of-age books about the dark side of growing up

The Penguin Podcast: Shappi Khorsandi

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