»Dear Mr. Ali, please come and fight my father.«

None of Those Things

Christian Duda

None of Those Things

Artwork by Julia Friese

1st ed. published 2017. 160 pages From the age of 11 years up All rights available

None of Those Things

Magdi, age 11, is an ardent fan of the great boxer, Mohammed Ali. Ali is strong and fair, and at the same time unconquerable. Totally different than Ali’s father. He crawls up to the bigwigs and bullies the underlings. The underlings being Magdi and his three siblings. And Mother. The thing that unites his Arabian father and German mother is the desire to raise well-mannered children. Don’t stand out in any unpleasant way! That is the reason Magdi and his three siblings have to be better than the others. And if they aren’t, his father does what he thinks necessary.
Christian Duda chooses the right time to look back to the 70s and tells a story from then that is more relevant than ever. A story about a child who feels trapped between social resentments and pressure inside the family. About expectations, fears and the great physical effort it takes to go one’s own way.