Posted on by Asad Hassan

Monica Ali: photos

Bambay Dreams, a 2002 musical, painted an image of a multicultural London. This portrayal contradicted Ali’s experience.
Female students of Dacca University marching on Language Movement Day, 1953/Wikipedia
A map showing Tower Hamlets and Brick Lane/Google Maps
Protests in Brick Lane when the movie was announced. Credit: David Sillitoe
A photo of Tower Hamlets, one of London’s poor neighborhoods. Martin Goodwin/Guardian
A photo from the front page of the Bolton School website.
Bolton Garden, in the Bolton neighborhood, London. Hidden London/Peter Trimming
A screenshot from the Brick Lane movie trailer. YouTube.
The headline of the first review of Brick Lane in the New York Times. The book was read in the aftermath of 9/11.