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No Land's Man
No Land's Man | Aasif Mandvi
5 posts | 11 read | 5 to read
"It always bothered me that Aasif was more than merely funny-he's also a great actor. Now I've learned he's an amazing storyteller as well, and I am furious . . . but also grateful. Aasif's movement between cultures and genres is what makes him and his story singularly funny, poignant, and essential." - John Hodgman, author of The Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require "My father moved our family to the United States because of a word. It was a word whose meaning fascinated him. It was a singularly American word, a fat word, a word that could only be spoken with decadent pride. That word was . . . Brunch! 'The beauty of America,' he would say, 'is they have so much food, that between breakfast and lunch they have to stop and eat again.'" —from "International House of Patel" If you're an Indo-Muslim-British-American actor who has spent more time in bars than mosques over the past few decades, turns out it's a little tough to explain who you are or where you are from. In No Land's Man Aasif Mandvi explores this and other conundrums through stories about his family, ambition, desire, and culture that range from dealing with his brunch-obsessed father, to being a high-school-age Michael Jackson impersonator, to joining a Bible study group in order to seduce a nice Christian girl, to improbably becoming America's favorite Muslim/Indian/Arab/Brown/Doctor correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. This is a book filled with passion, discovery, and humor. Mandvi hilariously and poignantly describes a journey that will resonate with anyone who has had to navigate his or her way in the murky space between lands. Or anyone who really loves brunch.
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JoyBlue
No Land's Man | Aasif Mandvi
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Pickpick

I'm not familiar with his acting work; but he seems funny. My favorite parts pertained to ethnic parents.

TheBookStacker I love this guy! 5y
JoyBlue @TheBookStacker 🙂 5y
66 likes2 comments
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Ncostell
No Land's Man | Aasif Mandvi
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Pickpick

I was a huge fan of the Daily Show back in the day and always liked Aasif Mandvi on the show. This was a great read, mostly about his experience finding his place in the world as an Indian Muslim living first in England as a child, then as a teenager when his family moved to Florida and as an adult in NYC. There were many poignant scenes and some laugh out loud moments too.

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Clevercactus
No Land's Man | Aasif Mandvi
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Urine-drinking was one of those things that, as an Indian kid, you hope your friends never find out about your culture--bathing in the Ganges and cows in the middle of the highway are already difficult enough to explain to your western friends.

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Clevercactus
No Land's Man | Aasif Mandvi
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Despite my poor display my family was supportive. Even though my grandmother didn't understand what it all meant, my less-than-average homage to Michael Jackson brought a smile to her face. For the rest of their visit she would walk into my bedroom every day and sing "Billy Jesus not my lawyer."

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JenP
No Land's Man | Aasif Mandvi
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Pickpick

I read this as a substitution for Born a Crime on my #marchmadness bracket. Compared to Noah's memoir, it was pretty light. Mandvi narrates the audio and the book tells about his life from childhood in England and the US. He does discuss his experience as both an Indian and Muslim person in both countries and how his background impacted his life & career. But it's more funny anecdotes than in depth analysis unlike Noah's book. Pretty funny overall

JenP So nowhere near as good as Born a Crime but a good way to pass a daily 2 hour commute to work for a week. 7y
EvieBee Yay! I own this! 7y
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