the (not) sincere book of life hacks

Step into the shoes of the 80s-born desi kids: a bunch of clueless, impressionable young teens and pre-teens, catapulted into the 90s, finding their way around a world where the internet at first didn’t exist outside chunky school desktops. When it finally did, it was the dark, complicated abyss of dial-up and late night chat rooms. In a time where it was not possible to pick up a smartphone for a quick Google search – but the world was breathing sexuality down everyone’s neck through satellite TV – fact-checking about life-stuff (boys, girls, babies, boobs, penises, kissing, sex…) was limited to asking someone who might know more. So: siblings, cousins, neighbours, friends, or literally anyone who had a couple of months of living over you and/or a great imagination.

This was the reality for most desi teens growing up in the 1990s, where truths, lies and misinformation shaped our absurd worldviews and hilariously bumpy journeys into adulthood. the (not) sincere book of life hacks is a compilation of fantastical advice and life lessons that were bestowed upon us. We pass the baton on to you.

- Saira & Misha

Drawings & Text Misha Michael, Saira Ansari | Design Saira Ansari | Self-Published in 2019