I, Migrant by Sami Shah

Despite nearly being killed by a kangaroo and almost lynched and run out of town after his comedy was taken far too seriously, Sami Shah is very happy to be living in Australia. He has fronted his own satirical show on TV in Karachi, worked as a journalist and been a highly regarded newspaper columnist - all dangerous occupations to be involved in - when the combination of seeing the aftermaths of a devastating bomb attack and being the target of death threats convinced him to leave Pakistan. Under the terms of their Australian migration visa, Sami and his wife and young daughter were obliged to settle in a rural area, and so they moved to Northam in Western Australia.

Now Sami is battling a crippling addiction to meat pies, but at least is no longer constantly mistaken for an escaped asylum seeker from the nearby detention centre. He has also been the star of Australian Story, the subject of an article in The New York Times, and has performed countless comedy shows to ever-growing and appreciative audiences.

I, Migrant tells the story of what it's like to leave the home you love to start a new life in another country so your child can be safe and grow up with a limitless future.

Judges' comments

By turns moving, shocking and laugh-out-loud funny, Sami Shah’s memoir, I , Migrant, is a humorous and intelligent look into the mind of a comic. Shah chronicles his life as a journalist in war torn Karachi, where he witnesses the aftermath of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, to his immigration to outback Australia and subsequent discovery that Australian wildlife comes with dangers all of its own.