Book's universal theme

3:57pm Wednesday 2nd July 2008

SATHNAM Sanghera, Times journalist and author of the memoir If You Don't Know Me By Now: A Memoir of Love, Secrets and Lies in Wolverhampton, might seem a bit of an odd choice for the Leytonstone Festival.

As the title of his book suggests, he grew up in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands and he has no specific ties to the area.

But the themes he addresses in his memoirs - family relationships, acceptance, love - strike a much more universal chord.

"The response has been amazing," says Sanghera, 31.

"I've had people writing, saying it's made them have conversations with their own parents.

"It's encouraged them to tell their families about secret relationships."

The book, which relates Sanghera's discovery, at the age of 24, that his father had been suffering from schizophrenia for most of his adult life, deals with the revelation and its consequences as other long-held secrets came to light.

"A big theme of the book is me telling my parents I don't want an arranged marriage," says Sanghera.

"I was living a secret life in London, dating unsuitable girls. "I had to tell my family and I did it via the book."

Working at the Financial Times when he made the discovery, Sanghera left his job of 10 years to work on the book when the emotional strain began to take its toll.

"Writing it was so emotionally draining that I couldn't carry on with my journalism," he says.

"My journalism is quite light and it was too difficult to go from the one to the other."

Sanghera now writes features for the Times but it took him nearly two years to complete the book, as he faced up to the painful memories of his past.

"I didn't enjoy writing the book at all - it was very painful," he said.

"But I needed to break free - I think it's earned me my freedom."

One of the youngest of 54 cousins, Sanghera comes from a traditional Sikh background and had to face the possibility of disapproval from his entire family after coming clean.

But after explaining the content of the book to his parents, who don't read English, he says the reaction has been "fantastic."

"My mother's been going round Wolverhampton, flogging copies of it to her friends," he says."The book is a tribute to her."

Starting with the Leytonstone Festival, Sanghera's first appearance talking about the book in London, he will be embarking on a raft of speaking dates around the capital to discuss the book.

"I got involved with the festival through Vivian Archer - she runs Newham Bookshop and arranged the event as part of the festival," says Sanghera.

"I'm really hoping to get some readers who maybe know my stuff from the Times."

Sathnam Sanghera will be "in conversation" with Jacqueline Walker at Leytonstone Library on Sunday July 6 from 6.30pm. Entry £3.

FFor more information see the websites in related links.

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