Episode 1

The shouted racist abuse ricocheted off the walls of the Rochdale underpass that connected Sajid Javid's home and primary school. Even as a five year-old boy, he had learned that 1970s Britain could be a cruel and violent place for those seen as outsiders.

Leaving behind the devastation of Partition, Sajid's father moved from Punjab to the UK in the '60s. The family held on to many of their Indo-Pakistani traditions, setting them apart and often leading to rejection by their new neighbours.

In this tender but powerful memoir, Sajid Javid shares his story of a childhood marked by poverty, racism and the tension produced by trying to conform to two cultures. These led to run-ins with the police, trouble at school and eventually the risk of estrangement from his family by defying their wish for his arranged marriage in favour of choosing the woman he loved. With each new trial, Sajid learned to dig his heels in further, speaking up for himself and stubbornly refusing to accept the limits that seemed imposed by his background.

This is a story of hope, determination and survival - a tribute to the parents who gave everything and the brothers who struggled alongside him - and an invitation to every 'outsider' to keep going and dream big.

Episode One
Sajid Javid’s father arrives in the UK in 1961, and works as a bus driver in Greater Manchester. Sajid’s mother feels isolated and alone, speaking no English, but works hard to keep house, and to bring up her five sons.

Read by Sajid Javid
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Producer: David Blount

A Pier production for BBC Radio 4