When I was 10 years old, I watched my mother give a speech in my home town of Herat, Afghanistan, speaking out for women’s rights and education and against the ruling Taliban. That night, an order was given for her execution. My family packed up our most precious belongings and escaped in darkness, starting what would be a long and dangerous journey. But my mother’s was not the only life in danger. My older brother suffered from a rare heart condition, and this escape offered a chance of life-saving treatment in the West. Exploring the humanity of refugeeism, this is not only a tale of a family in crisis, but a love letter to the NHS, which provided hope and reassurance as we sought asylum in the UK and fought to save our loved ones. This book was the BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week, read bySanjeev Bhaskar and is available to purchase from Amazon and other retailers in Hardback, Paperback, Audiobook and Kindle editions.
- ISBN 1785786199
- 288 pages
- English Language
- Published 18 June 2020
- Publisher Icon Books
- Dimensions 13.97 x 1.91 x 22.23 cm
This dramatised edition is an adaptation for the stage by Phil Porter, of the book The Boy With Two Hearts book. It was published to coincide with the world premiere of the play The Boy With Two Hearts at Wales Millennium Centre in 2021. The book is available from Amazon and other retailers in Paperback and Kindle editions.
- 96 pages
- English Language
- Published 1 October 2021
- Publisher Methuen Drama
- Dimensions 12.85 x 0.48 x 19.84 cm
What people are saying:
Oli
“A moving story beautifully told. My problems shrank to their true size in the face of the hardships faced and strength of this family. Standing up for women’s voices in Afghanistan; the strength of family in a scary and arduous journey to the UK; the two hearts of Hussein both the damaged one he was born with and the one that drove his compassion for others. Strongly recommend. An easy and good read”
Kendall
“I read this book from cover to cover in one day – I just could not put it down! The journey of the Amiri family and everything they went through to reach their ‘safe haven’ of the UK, as well as the truly inspirational story of Hamed’s brother Hussein, had me in floods of tears and made me feel so grateful, not only for the wonderful NHS but also for the fact that I have never have had to face problems that are even remotely comparable to those experienced by this extraordinary family. I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone – a truly inspirational read.”
David Gladwell
“A quite extraordinary book, a quite extraordinary story, one of the most affecting books I have ever read. The story of a family’s flight from Afghanistan and the year-long odyssey bringing them finally to Wales in search of treatment for the oldest son’s. Hussein’s, ultimately fatal, heart condition. Hussein, the boy with two hearts, his fragile human heart, and his boundless emotional heart: it is his story, his courage, his humour, his selflessness, his passion for helping others, his love for his brothers ‘the three musketeers’, and for his parents. When they left Herat in 2000 Hamed was 10, responsible for unobtrusively checking on his older brother’s health, ‘my role model, my hero’. It is a story of survival and of hope. To read it is to change you. I cried unashamedly, copiously, and often. Thank you Mr Amiri.”
Hamed Amiri 