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An extraordinary history of Mishal Husain''s four grandparents, whose lives were shaped by the tumultuous politics and prejudices of empire, war and partition. In this narrative odyssey that traces the complexities of her own ancestry, Mishal Husain sheds incredible light on a landmark historical period. Mary, a devout Catholic of Anglo-Indian parentage, leaves a struggling family to train as a nurse. Tahirah was born to middle-class Muslim parents and grows up with an emphasis on education and aspiration. Mumtaz steps away from everything and everyone he knows to train as a doctor, while Shahid finds purpose and success as a Sandhurst cadet. This gripping family history follows a nation becoming ever more divided in the face of social inequality, civil disobedience and the Second World War. Two centuries of British rule in South Asia come to a bloody end with the birth of independent India and the new state of Pakistan, dividing families and communities while leaving a legacy of distrust, tension and conflict that endures today. In constructing a warm and vivid portrait of an exceptional family, Broken Threads confronts the acute sense of loss brought on by partition, the rupturing of cross-border relationships, and the resulting shift in identities.
About the author
Mishal Husain is a journalist and broadcaster whose first book was The Skills: How to Win at Work. She was a presenter of BBC Radio 4’s influential Today programme before joining Bloomberg News as the host of a new multi-platform interview show and Editor-at-Large of its Weekend Edition.
Her work in journalism has taken her around the world, from refugee camps in Lebanon and Bangladesh to the recent Coronation and election debates between politicians in the UK. Her interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was seen around the world and she has fronted TV documentaries on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, on the Arab uprisings of 2011, and on Malala Yousafzai.
In 2024 she won the Charles Wheeler Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Journalism.
