Description

*AS READ ON BBC RADIO 4 ‘BOOK OF THE WEEK’*

‘Lip-lickingly, dance-around-the-living-room good… A smash hit’ Observer

‘Unflinching and heartwarming’ – Adam Kay

‘Tender, clever and as funny as it gets … a heart-piercing joy’ – Lauren Laverne

‘An exceptional coming-of-age story […] Pete Paphides may very well have the biggest heart in Britain’ – Marina Hyde

‘I ADORE this utterly wonderful coming-of-age memoir. Joyful, clever, and a bit heartbreaking’ – Nina Stibbe

‘Heartfelt, hilarious and beautifully written, Broken Greek is a childhood memoir like no other’ – Cathy Newman

‘So wonderfully written, such a light touch. Drenched in sentiment yet not in the least sentimental’ – John Niven

‘It’s brilliant. Sad, really funny and beautifully written … just fantastic’ – Alexis Petridis

‘A truly beautiful book’ – James O’Brien

‘Intoxicating’ – Kirsty Wark

‘Oh, how I love Pete Paphides and this book’ – Daniel Finkelstein

‘A balm in these times’ David Nicholls

‘Fantastic … Can’t recommend it highly enough’ Tim Burgess
__________

‘Do you sometimes feel like the music you’re hearing is explaining your life to you?’

When Pete’s parents moved from Cyprus to Birmingham in the 1960s in the hope of a better life, they had no money and only a little bit of English. They opened a fish-and-chip shop in Acocks Green. The Great Western Fish Bar is where Pete learned about coin-operated machines, male banter and Britishness.

Shy and introverted, Pete stopped speaking from age 4 to 7, and found refuge instead in the bittersweet embrace of pop songs, thanks to Top of the Pops and Dial-A-Disc. From Brotherhood of Man to UB40, from ABBA to The Police, music provided the safety net he needed to protect him from the tensions of his home life. It also helped him navigate his way around the challenges surrounding school, friendships and phobias such as visits to the barber, standing near tall buildings and Rod Hull and Emu.

With every passing year, his guilty secret became more horrifying to him: his parents were Greek, but all the things that excited him were British. And the engine of that realisation? ‘Sugar Baby Love’, ‘Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’, ‘Tragedy’, ‘Silly Games’, ‘Going Underground’, ‘Come On Eileen’, and every other irresistibly thrilling chart hit blaring out of the chip shop radio.

Never have the trials and tribulations of growing up and the human need for a sense of belonging been so heart-breakingly and humorously depicted.

*Listen along with Pete’s BROKEN GREEK playlist on Spotify!*

Publisher Review

A detailed profusion of fact, genuine fun and a yearning, yarn-spinning search for cultural identity * Irish Times * Funny, warm and sometimes heartbreaking account of how life-affirming music can be * Telegraph * Epic childhood memoir * The Week * A book that will leave you smiling * Independent * Utterly joyous * Financial Times * Entertaining, authentic and funny * Strong Words * A must-read for music fans * Sheerluxe * Such a heartfelt, genuinely affecting read * The Daily Express * A terrific achievement * The Spectator * Endearing... The evening he drags his dad to meet his heroes the Barron Knights and a four-hour bus trip with three older girls discussing the merits of Duran Duran's John Taylor are worthy of the cover price alone * The Sunday Times * A loving, affectionate account * the Herald * Tender, heartfelt, humane and very funny * The Times * A smart and nostalgic read * Magic FM * Every single page is a joy to read, entertainingly but unsentimentally written ... This is one of the most enjoyable books I've read for a long time, a coming of age memoir that manages to be simultaneously tender, heartbreaking and laugh out loud funny * The Afterword * A hilarious, heartbreaking and completely enchanting debut * The Arts Desk * Charming, funny ... you root for kind, uncertain, scared but spirited little Pete * The Big Issue * A tale of pop music and growing up in a Brum chippie that has been the sweetest, funniest thing he's read all year. -- Stuart Maconi * Cumbria Life * Endearing * Saga Magazine * Wonderful coming-of-age memoir * Record Collector * Confessional, sorrowful and sublime * BA High Life Magazine * Wonderful * Q magazine * If you are in the market for a wonderfully written, deeply touching, pitch-perfect childhood memoir laced liberally with 70s nostalgia, then you need look no further. * Long Live Vinyl * A heartbreaking but humorous memoir from a legendary rock journalist * The Times Scotland * Highly personal book about family life ... warm hearted * the Independent * With its forensic attention to detail and exquisite unpacking of the pre-teen mind, Broken Greek is an intensely personal hymn that sings a universal tune. Like the very best pop songs, it gets under your skin, and stays there * i * Oh, how I love Pete Paphides and this book. He can't write a paragraph that isn't funny or moving or insightful and often all three at once. For someone from a refugee family, like me, it just reads so true, but it's also a painting of another life so rich, so deep, that they should hang it in the National Gallery. * Daniel Finkelstein, Associate Editor at The Times * Tender, clever and as funny as it gets... a heart-piercing joy. * Lauren Laverne * I can't tell you how good this book is. Incredibly, it's Paphides's first - I'd be amazed (and disappointed) if it's his last * New Statesman * Evocative * the Guardian * A witty and joyful tale of self-discovery * the Observer *