A Dutiful Boy

A memoir of secrets, lies and family love

Author  Mohsin Zaidi
A Dutiful Boy

'A beautifully written, heartrending story of a young gay man's journey, liberation and love. A real page-turner that sparks with humanity and hope'
Lord Michael Cashman


A coming of age memoir about growing up queer in a strict Muslim household.

Mohsin grew up in a poor pocket of east London, in a devout shia Muslim community. His family were close-knit and religiously conservative. From a young age, Mohsin felt different but in a home where being gay was inconceivable he also felt very alone.

Outside of home Mohsin went to a failing inner city school where gang violence was a fact of life. As he grew up life didn't seem to offer teenage Mohsin any choices: he was disenfranchised from opportunity and isolated from…