Mixed Messages Extra: WIN Both Not Half by Jassa Ahluwalia, plus an extract

Read an extract from this necessary book, plus win SIGNED copies

Hi, welcome to Mixed Messages Extra! This week, we’re sharing an extract from Jassa Ahluwalia’s Both Not Half, as well as giving you the chance to win one of two signed copies.

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I interviewed Jassa Ahluwalia for Mixed Messages way back in 2020 at Mixed Messages’ inception, where he spoke memorably about language being a vital part of his Punjabi identity, his desire to be seen and why he’s always been both, not half.

Part-memoir, part-manifesto, Both Not Half chronicles how Jassa’s fluent Punjabi always prompted bewilderment, how medical staff questioned the legitimacy of his name and how the world of casting taught him he wasn’t the right kind of mixed-race, leading the actor and author to feel caught between two worlds.

Now, he’s on a mission to change the way we think and talk about mixed identity, Jassa asks: Why were movie stars urged to hide their mixed identities? To what extent did colonialism encourage or hinder mixed marriages? Is nationalism outdated? How can the politics of class and queer liberation inform our understanding of mixed identity?

Both Not Half is a journey of self-discovery that unearths the historical roots of modern mixed identity as we know it, braving to deconstruct the binaries we have inherited and the narratives we passively accept.

Below, read an exclusive extract from the book, and find out how to win one of two signed copies of this rallying cry for a new and inclusive future.