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One Sinha Lifetime

Comedy, disaster and one man’s quest for happiness

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One Sinha Lifetime

By: Paul Sinha
Narrated by: Paul Sinha
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

'That night, I'd survived my life flashing before me, with my dignity intact.
Yes, this chaotic life has always been a gamble.
... But what a gamble.'

Paul Sinha is an award-winning comedian, a quizzing mastermind and a happily-married husband. But for much of his life none of these seemed remotely imaginable.

As a boy, Paul struggled to find his place in a world where he didn't quite fit. Who was he? An over-achieving schoolkid with the world's knowledge at his fingertips? A traditional Bengali son, destined for a career in medicine that he never once craved? A young gay man yearning to breathe freely? Or was he yet another flawed human being on a self-destruct mission?

Amid life's mayhem, it was frequently Paul's love of facts in which he found solace, whether funding his lifestyle through quiz machines or simply trying to show off to his mates. Stumbling serendipitously into both a career in stand-up and a clandestine network of competitive quizzers introduced him to a new sense of purpose, a new identity, and, eventually, new love...

A hilarious and moving coming-of-age memoir of one man's search for fulfilment, One Sinha Lifetime is an unconventional odyssey through love, family, and the joy of general knowledge.

©2024 Paul Sinha (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 Cultural & Regional Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV Relationships Comedy Funny Witty
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Critic reviews

Just when I thought I had the market sewn up for memoirs about gay former doctors who went to Dulwich College then the University of London, here comes this wonderful book by Paul Sinha. Uncompromisingly honest, and just as funny as his stand-up (which is very funny indeed).
One Sinha Lifetime is smart, funny and thoroughly entertaining. Paul Sinha is as sharp and witty when he’s recounting the worst days of his life, as he is when re-living the best and I simply couldn’t get enough! I loved it!
A lovely and funny book.
One Sinha Lifetime is an eloquent, pithy, painfully honest book in which the subject doesn’t shy away from his flaws. It is not particularly about comedy because there has been so much more to his life. He doesn’t attempt to paint a picture of himself as perfect. He admits to having alcohol problems, gambling problems and relationship struggles. He knew he was gay from an early age but always feared coming out to his parents. In the end, of course, when they found out it was simply not an issue. One Sinha Lifetime is not just laugh-out-loud funny, it is inspiring too.
Paul's book is beautiful, sad, funny and a reminder of the fragility of this thing called life. Love shines through it. The love of his family, his husband, his quizzing and his comedy. I cannot though, however hard I try, imagine him stood in front of a Jongleurs audience. That simply does not compute. Everyone needs to check out Perfect Pub Quiz, his Radio 4 show. One of the best things out there.
I loved Paul's autobiography (and it has the best title I’ve seen in some time!). Lots of fascinating insights into the worlds of quizzing and comedy, disarming honesty, great jokes and some deliciously waspish pen portraits of people he’s met along the way…
One Sinha Lifetime is as funny as you'd expect from as brilliant and witty a stand-up as Paul Sinha, but you might not be prepared for how raw, open and honest it is. So much more than a memoir of a comedian, this is a story of love and loneliness, of loss and triumph and it speaks quite beautifully to the balancing act second generation immigrants have to pull off to find a way to be who we really are. You'll cheer Paul every step of the way as he navigates that tricky path with bravery and humour.
All stars
Most relevant
I loved hearing all of these stories. What an incredible life Paul has had. There are so many funny moments too

Brilliant book!

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Paul is honest and incredibly funny as he tells his life story so far, with some very relatable situations.

An honest and self-deprecating autobiography

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The clear account of Paul’s life story was interesting earning much respect for his life journey so far.

Openness and honesty.

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Like many people I know the author from the TV the chase and I have always found him very funny particulate and witty without being rude. This book is a real eye-opener, pull takes us through the wonderful characters in his family the fear trepidation as he comes to realise that he is gay and how to navigate this within his own family. I really loved the honesty and vulnerability about his feelings at this time and I really empathised with being different and wanting to fit in and finally finding his true calling, which was quizzing! There are some great laugh eight low moments in this book and I would thoroughly recommend it to anybody who has a passing interest in Paul because of the chase.
Paul reads the book excellently and if I have a get a chance I will be seeing him do stand-up if era comes to my area. The guy is really funny, honest to a fault, and I applaud you, Paul. What an excellent read

There is much more to this man then being a chaser!!

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Excellent book, can highly recommend. Felt like a friend sitting in a bar telling you of their life experience.

Entertaining and honest

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