Hopeful
An Autobiography
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Hopeful
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Narrated by:
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Omid Djalili
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By:
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Omid Djalili
About this listen
Omid Djalili's fascinating story begins with an unconventional childhood spent at his family's London guesthouse for visiting Iranians. At school he is kept busy with the beginnings of a passionate love affair with football but he hopes one day to live a more intellectually fulfilled life. For one wonderful summer in California it seems that maybe he will find his spiritual home at UCLA. Sadly his exam results don't quite hit the mark (it's difficult to study astrophysics at one of the world's top universities without O-level maths) and so, ever hopeful, Omid returns home to spend the next three years sitting his A-levels again, and again, and again.
Eventually, in a moment of madness, he concludes that the best way to achieve the desired A-level results is to 'improve' his certificates. Travelling to the university of Ulster he finds true connection and relaxing solitude despite the backdrop of Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles and nearly being killed by paramilitaries. Here he decides that a life in show business is the only secure option he has left, and what follows is a hilarious and captivating insight into the life of a young performer who embraces his cultural identity, works harder than anyone else, and doesn't give up until he has hung out with Brad Pitt in Morocco, injured himself severely while showing off in front of Kate Winslet, and shared an 'intimate moment' with Oliver Reed in Gladiator.
Full of the warmth and intelligence that makes Omid such a successful comedian and sought-after actor, this memoir takes us on a joyously vivid journey through an unusually British life.
©2014 Omid Djalili (P)2014 Headline DigitalListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Hopeful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- kampamba chomba
- 06-07-21
thank you
An amazing and weirdly relatable story. you have lived life Omid, thank you for sharing it with us 🙏🏾
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Simon Zohhadi
- 06-12-15
Funny British Iranian Guy
I am also British-Iranian (English mother & Persian father). So Omid's autobiography has some relevance. His performance reading this book is very good and amusing, who could have done it better ? I have also seen him live at the Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith; he was very funny. My only criticism is that he could have written more about his comedy act and career. Recommended.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- tracy
- 06-08-18
Brilliant
A highly entertaining listen- definitely a repeat listening book! Would highly recommend buying this one!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 06-08-19
Good laugh by an interesting guy
Loads of funny content and a good story of how to overcome rejection. 7/10 for me.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Lella
- 15-02-24
Inspiring, funny & well worth the listen
Loved listening to this autobiography! Having enjoyed Omid’s live show and having Iranian in-laws I knew this would be fun. It was also inspiring, fascinating, informative and moving. I could’ve continued listening non stop. Highly recommend!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Tareq W. Muhmood
- 28-11-16
Beautiful read but a bit all over the place
Read with integrity, humour and pace it was an enjoyable listen. The story though felt like it jumped around too much.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- O. J. Jones
- 30-07-21
Hilarious and heartfelt
Brilliantly narrated, fascinating story of his life, with hilarious stories mixed with some very heartfelt and moving moments too. Highly recommended.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- A
- 20-07-15
An Unexpected Gem
Would you consider the audio edition of Hopeful to be better than the print version?
Yes, Omid's character and wonderful delivery only add to the written text.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Undergraduate Omid was my favourite character because he was young and naive, and totally fearless of the ludicrous situations that he got himself into.
What does Omid Djalili bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Himself.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
There were too many moments that moved me to list them all, but what has remained with me having long finished reading the book is his account of his family's Baha'i faith and the related cost for them.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nigel Bax
- 27-05-15
Hilariously honest and tremendously touching
This autobiography is disarming in its author's unflinching gaze on his past.
It literally made me laugh out loud in public (making people stare and think I'm a nutter) and even provoked tears at points despite that not being my habit.
Deeply moving in passages but never over sentimental, Omid is a romantic but not self indulgent.
This is perhaps the first audio book I have come across that I wouldn't want to read-his narration is brilliant.
All that said there is one word that must predominate and seems apt to end on; funny.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Brian
- 13-01-15
A good read.
Not what I expected. It was a good read. Omid has had an interesting life so far.
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