Kia Abdullah was born and raised in the borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. She is of Bangladeshi descent; her parents moved to Britain from the Sylhet region of Bangladesh during the 1970s. She is the seventh oldest of nine children. Kia, 29, is a British-Asian author and journalist. Kia graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science from Queen Mary, University of London in 2003. After a stint in information technology, she changed career and opted to become a writer instead.
She has written two novels, 'Life, Love and Assimilation', published in 2006, and 'Child’s Play', published in 2009.
Her first novel, 'Life, Love and Assimilation', debuted among praise and controversy in equal measures. The Bangladeshi community, including members of Kia’s own family, denounced the book due to its no-holds-barred description of the drugs problem in Tower Hamlets along with the inclusion of several sexually graphic scenes.
Despite the controversy, she remains firm in her view that issues should be explored, saying: “I have a voice and I’ll say what I want with it. I am not backing down. I am not staging a retreat. Let people say what they want to say.”
As a journalist, Kia has interviewed a range of prominent Asian actors and musicians and contributes to a number of publications including 'The Guardian' newspaper and international glossy magazine 'Asian Woman'.
Listen to Kia Abdullah being interviewed by Anita Rani on BBC Asian Network here.
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