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A Glasgow Girl

A memoir of growing up and finding your voice

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A Glasgow Girl

By: Aasmah Mir
Narrated by: Aasmah Mir
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£5.99/mo after 3 months. Offer ends on 5 July 2026 at 11:59 BST. Cancel monthly.

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A fascinating and emotive narrative capturing the journey many second-generation Britons have travelled from the familial bonds of their parents' countries to establishing a life and identity for themselves in the United Kingdom.

A Pebble in the Throat is two stories told in unison. Aasmah Mir growing up in Glasgow - the place of her birth - and the upbringing of her mother in Pakistan a generation before. It is an emotional and thought-provoking narrative on what it is like to live in two very different cultures whilst all the time aware of racism, prejudice and stereotyping of gender from the 1960s onwards.

A Pebble in the Throat captures life from the lens of a little girl, teenage loner, and grown-up student leaving the safety of home - a witness, sitting on the edge of two cultures, describing what it means to be striving for acceptance in one whilst attempting to fulfil expectations in the other. It will capture the essence of life as a Pakistani in Glasgow and bring vividly to life the one character who shaped her childhood - her mother - who gave her the confidence to seize life and find her voice.

©2023 Aasmah Mir (P)2023 Headline Publishing Group Ltd Art & Literature Journalists, Editors & Publishers Relationships Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking
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Critic reviews

Full of beauty, wit and inner strength, this unique dual voiced memoir moved me deeply. Aasmah Mir's childhood may have been bittersweet but her writing, like her broadcasting, is pure gold (Samira Ahmed)

I will be thinking of Aasmah's story for a very long time. She writes with such richness of her life, such detail of her time at school and the love for her young brother. This book will resonate with many people no matter that they be Christian or Muslim, British or Pakistani. A treasure of a book. (Fern Britton)

An exquisite memoir, revealing how the wheels of progress have turned across two generations - but how they have also got very stuck. It is at times heart-breaking and poignant but also so very funny and clever and full of small moments that you want to pause and reread. (Fi Glover)
All stars
Most relevant
Beautifully written and evocative. Aasmah reads her, and her mother's, story so well. Definitely recommend

Excellent

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What a story of our times! I loved this story of generations of women moving from Pakistan to Scotland. It was enhanced by having the writer as reader on my audio version. So many painful moments handled without self pity, illustrated beautiful by the challenges posed by Aasmah's brother. Loved it!

Story of modern Britain

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Beautifully narrated by the author, I can identify with living in one country with parents from another. It’s therapeutic for those that have experienced this and informative for those that haven’t. A family saga but totally grounded in the facts of day to day living both from the point of view of a child and of an adult.
Deals with social anxiety and the progression of finding a way through.

Living between two cultures

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Aasmah Mir tells her family’s story with her mother telling her tale and Aasmah relating her story . What a great insight into life in Pakistan and Glasgow. It was fascinating, I was swept away and at times wanted to defend both women. I am glad Aasmah named some of the bullies she met at school. The book was well written and I could not recommend it too highly. It should be on the syllabus for all trainee teachers.

Amazing women

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I couldn‘t stop listening to this. Her story is heartwarming and heartbreaking in equal measure. It’s a fascinating and eyeopening account of the experience of first and second generation immigrants to the UK. She has a beautiful voice to listen to - all the more poignant that her encounters with the casual and not-so-casual racism of Glasgow in the 70s and 80s rendered her almost speechless during her teenage years. This book was recommended by a friend who went to the same school at that time and also had a truly grim experience there - I really hope it‘s improved since then.

Totally absorbing

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