The Lebs

FINALIST FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARDS 2019

WINNER OF THE NSW PREMIERS LITERARY AWARDS MULTICULTURAL NSW AWARD 2019

'Bani Adam thinks he's better than us!' they say over and over until finally I shout back, 'Shut up, I have something to say!'

They all go quiet and wait for me to explain myself, redeem myself, pull my shirt out, rejoin the pack. I hold their anticipation for three seconds, and then, while they're all ablaze, I say out loud, 'I do think I'm better.'

As far as Bani Adam is concerned Punchbowl Boys is the arse end of the earth. Though he's a Leb and they control the school, Bani feels at odds with the other students, who just don't seem to care. He is a romantic in a sea of hypermasculinity.

Bani must come to terms with his place in this hostile, hopeless world, while dreaming of so much more.

Praise for The Lebs:

'an open-eyed and highly charismatic novel broiling with fight, tenderness and ambition.' - Big Issue

'The Lebs is a strong and resonant novel that deserves to be widely read.' - Weekend Australian

'The author never lets his superb command of idiom or his eye for the absurd overwhelm a deeply felt exploration of the hurt and damage that can come from encounters with the Australian Other. No one who reads The Lebs deserves to come out unscathed.' - The Saturday Paper

'Ahmad's piercing storytelling cuts away at the lace and trimmings of race relations in Australia today.' - The Lifted Brow

“wonderfully vivid and compelling . . . utterly authentic - Books+Publishing”

wonderfully vivid and compelling . . . utterly authentic - Books+Publishing

in its vibrancy, its warty candour and willingness to engage with the messy business of people falling out of their known worlds without knowing where to go next, The Lebs is a strong and resonant novel that deserves to be widely read. - Weekend Australian

an open-eyed and highly charismatic novel broiling with fight, tenderness and ambition. - Big Issue Australia

The Lebs is vividly told, with a strong and distinct voice, and in Bani Adam, we have a wonderfully complex and compelling character to lead us on this journey through his world. - The AU Review

Michael Mohammed Ahmad is the founding director of Sweatshop Literacy Movement and editor of the critically acclaimed anthology After Australia (Affirm Press, 2020). Mohammed's debut novel, The Tribe (Giramondo, 2014), won the 2015 Sydney Morning Herald Best Young Novelists of the Year Award. His second novel, The Lebs (Hachette Australia, 2018), won the 2019 NSW Premier's Multicultural Literary Award and was shortlisted for the 2019 Miles Franklin Literary Award. Mohammed received his Doctorate of Creative Arts from Western Sydney University in 2017.

FINALIST FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARDS 2019 WINNER OF THE NSW PREMIERS LITERARY AWARDS MULTICULTURAL NSW AWARD 2019 'Bani Adam thinks he's better than us!' they say over and over until finally I shout back, 'Shut up, I have something to say!' They all go quiet and wait for me to explain myself, redeem myself, pull my shirt out, rejoin the pack. I hold their anticipation for three seconds, and then, while they're all ablaze, I say out loud, 'I do think I'm better.' As far as Bani Adam is concerned Punchbowl Boys is the arse end of the earth. Though he's a Leb and they control the school, Bani feels at odds with the other students, who just don't seem to care. He is a romantic in a sea of hypermasculinity. Bani must come to terms with his place in this hostile, hopeless world, while dreaming of so much more. Praise for The Lebs : 'an open-eyed and highly charismatic novel broiling with fight, tenderness and ambition.' - Big Issue ' The Lebs is a strong and resonant novel that deserves to be widely read.' - Weekend Australian 'The author never lets his superb command of idiom or his eye for the absurd overwhelm a deeply felt exploration of the hurt and damage that can come from encounters with the Australian Other. No one who reads The Lebs deserves to come out unscathed.' - The Saturday Paper 'Ahmad's piercing storytelling cuts away at the lace and trimmings of race relations in Australia today.' - The Lifted Brow

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