About No Land's Man

If you're an Indo-Muslim-British-American actor who has spent more time in bars than mosques over the past few decades, turns out it's a little tough to explain who you are or where you are from. In No Land's Man Aasif Mandvi explores this and other conundrums through stories about his family, ambition, desire, and culture that range from dealing with his brunch-obsessed father to being a high-school-age Michael Jackson impersonator to joining a Bible study group in order to seduce a nice Christian girl, to improbably becoming America's favorite Muslim/Indian/Arab/Brown/Doctor correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

This is a book filled with passion, discovery, and humor. Mandvi hilariously and poignantly describes a journey that will resonate with anyone who has had to navigate his or her way in the murky space between lands. Or anyone who really loves brunch.

Praise

"It always bothered me that Aasif was more than merely funny-he's also a great actor. Now I've learned he's an amazing storyteller as well, and I am furious . . . but also grateful. Aasif's movement between cultures and genres is what makes him and his story singularly funny, poignant, and essential." -John Hodgman, author of The Areas of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require

"Highly entertaining and engaging" -India West

"We need more books like this - or rather, we need to read more books like this - in order to understand the fundamental humanity that we all share, regardless of skin color." -Daily Kos

"Mandvi's book No Land's Man is a collection of humorous essays that explore his myriad identities: Indian, Muslim, British, and American...The book is a lighthearted but heartfelt portrait of Mandvi's childhood and his struggles to come to terms with his rather complicated life." -The Boston Globe

"Aasif is my favorite Indo-Muslim-British- American Daily Show correspondent ever. I loved No Land's Man!" -Jim Gaffigan, author of Dad Is Fat and Food: A Love Story

Author Bio

Aasif Mandvi is a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and one of the stars of HBO's upcoming series, The Brink for which he also serves as writer/producer. He won an OBIE award for his one-man play Sakina's Restaurant which he later adapted into the film Today's Special. He has appeared in numerous theater, film, and television productions including The Pulitzer Prize-winning play Disgraced at Lincoln Center, and the films Million Dollar Arm and The Internship. He lives in New York City.

Ayad Akhtar was born in New York City and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is the author of American Dervish, published in more than 20 languages worldwide, and a 2012 Best Book of the Year at Kirkus Reviews, Toronto's Globe and Mail, Shelf-Awareness, and O (Oprah) Magazine. He is also a playwright and screenwriter. His play Disgraced premiered in New York at LCT3/Lincoln Center Theater in 2012, won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and is currently on Broadway. His latest plays, The Who & The What (LCT3) and The Invisible Hand (New York Theater Workshop) make their New York premieres in 2014. As a screenwriter, he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay for The War Within. He has received commissions from Lincoln Center Theater and fellowships from The Yaddo Foundation and The MacDowell Colony. Graduate of Brown University and Columbia School of the Arts.