How I Accidentally Became a Global Stock Photo

Like Shubnum Khan, I grew up in South Africa, transgressing apartheid-architected boundaries and inherited sets of values. In this memoir-by-vignette I recognised the pop culture artefacts of my childhood, the loving bonds of a family of Indian descent, the joyful chaos of an extended family, the journeys away from and back to home, and the learned ability to shape-shift between worlds. The form creates a feeling of intimacy with a funny and vulnerable friend telling entertaining and heartfelt stories. The painful reminders of the prejudice women of colour face – navigating visas, being exploited for being racially ambiguous – are faced courageously and held lightly. I felt a deep sense of recognition reading this book, having some of my lived experience mirrored back, with love.