Author(s): Mohsin Zaidi

Gay Male & Bi Biography/Memoir | Polari Prize 2021

A Guardian Best Book of the Year
A GQ Best Book of the Year
A New Statesman Best Book of the Year

Growing up in a devout shia Muslim household, it felt impossible for Mohsin to be gay. Unable to be open with his family, and with difficult conditions at school, he felt his opportunities closing around him. Despite the odds, Mohsin's perseverance led him to become the first person from his school to attend Oxford University, where new experiences and encounters helped him to discover who he truly wanted to be. Mohsin was confronted with the biggest decision he would ever make: to live the life that was expected of him or to live his truth.

A Dutiful Boy is Mohsin's personal journey from denial to acceptance: a revelatory memoir about the power of love, belonging, and living every part of your identity.

'Genuinely inspiring... Beautifully written, dignified and ultimately redemptive, this challenging story abounds with light and love' Attitude

LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD SHORTLIST

August 2021