Monica Ali Bolton, England. Her father is originally from the district of Mymensingh. She went to Bolton School and then studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Wadham College, Oxford. "Brick Lane" – named after Brick Lane, a street at the heart of London's Bangladeshi community – follows the life of Nazneen, a Bangladeshi woman who moves to London at the age of 18, to marry an older man, Chanu. They live in Tower Hamlets. At first her English consists only of "sorry" and "thank you;" the novel explores her life and adaptations in the community, as well as the character of Chanu,
Brick Lane film, Sarah Gavron, attests on the DVD commentary of the film that genuine footage of Brick Lane does appear in the finished movie. Activists told "The Guardian" they intended to burn copies of Ali's book during a rally to be held on 30 July 2006, but the demonstration passed without incident. Other notable books on the area are "Salaam Brick Lane" by Tarquin Hall, "On Brick Lane" (2007) by Rachel Lichtenstein and "An Acre of Barren Ground" by Jeremy Gavron. A large collection of photographs of the characters and sales people who worked the markets in Brick Lane were taken