The Curious Diary of Mr Jam — Nury Vittachi

He tried to bring comedy to Asia, but everyone just laughed at him

Sam Jam's whole life had been a tragic mistake.

As a humorist in Asia he had repeatedly been sacked, blacklisted and chased out of buildings.

But he refuses to believe that his audiences of conservative Muslims, Communist officials, religious police and Asian citizens in general have no sense of humor.

This funny, poignant tale, which the author describes as “a novel for legal reasons”, is more than just laugh-out-loud entertainment. It shines an essential light on what global culture will look like as eastern ways of thinking start to dominate.