Pax Assadi’s infectious stand-up comedy has seen him nominated for some of the industry’s biggest awards and appear on major shows such as 7 Days and Taskmaster NZ.

And he can now add author to his already impressive resumé.

His debut memoir Mortified is hilarious (unsurprisingly), and painfully honest as he reflects on his childhood and teenage years growing up as the son of refugees in Auckland.

Interrogating the memories he’s tried to keep in the dark, he examines when does – and should – a painful experience become “good material”?

He retraces his story with the same vulnerability and warmth that infuses his comedy in conversation with Tim Provise (Te Āti Awa o Taranaki).