THE BOY WITH TWO LIVES

From the author of the critically acclaimed and bestselling memoir On Two Feet and Wings, this is the compelling story of young Abbas settling in his new country but forced to lead a double life: elite schoolboy by day, illegal worker by night.

Close to his tenth birthday, Abbas had to leave his parents and friends to escape Tehran. The Iran–Iraq War was at its bloodiest. The ayatollahs, the rulers of Iran, had reduced the age of recruitment into the army. If Abbas didn’t leave, he would have to go to war. In the strange and often frightening city of Istanbul, Abbas had to grow up fast. Living alone for twelve weeks in a rundown hotel, he learned to live by his wits and watch his back. All his determination was rewarded when he received his dream visa to England. This is the story of On Two Feet and Wings. Abbas’ extraordinary story continues in The Boy with Two Lives. When the 10-year-old arrives in England to start a new life, little does he know that his troubles have only just begun... His cousin packs him off to boarding school, and infrequent phone calls are Abbas’s only contact with his beloved mother in Iran. Things get even worse when his cousin threatens him with deportation and Abbas is forced to work through the night to repay his ‘debt’, finally ending up homeless and living on the streets. Abbas’s extraordinary resilience in the face of overpowering odds makes this true story from the internationally bestselling author of On Two Feet and Wings truly inspiring and unforgettable. Abbas Kazerooni is a lawyer in California, USA. He is also a professional actor, writer and producer. His memoir, On Two Feet and Wings – which has sold into North America, India, Italy and Israel – was his first book.