Cat On The Road To Findout

by Yusuf/Cat Stevens

Embark on an extraordinary journey through the life, music and spiritual adventures of Yusuf/Cat Stevens, one of the iconic figures of our time. CAT ON THE ROAD TO FINDOUT is more than a memoir - it's a profound exploration of identity, faith, and the universal search for meaning.

Cat Stevens was launched to fame in the swinging sixties, with chart-topping pop hits like 'Matthew and Son' and 'The First Cut is the Deepest'. His early career was drastically interrupted by a mortal battle with TB - a turning point that ignited his quest for peace and understanding. Emerging from this experience, he rapidly rose to become one of the most prolific singer-songwriting icons of the seventies, captivating the world with soul-stirring anthems like 'Wild World', 'Father and Son', 'Peace Train', and 'Morning Has Broken'.

After exploring Buddhism, Zen, Hinduism, and astrology, in 1975 he again came face-to-face in a dangerous encounter with fate; a near-drowning experience in the ocean led to a massive transformative commitment to the Omniscient Power which miraculously saved him. This was fulfilled when his brother gifted him a copy of the Qur'an. By 1977, he embraced Islam, changed his name to Yusuf Islam, and shocked the world by leaving the music industry, dedicating his life to God, family, and humanitarian work.

Yusuf's inspirational story is one of quest, survival and redemption. With over 100 million records sold and billions of streams, still today, his soulful voice and poetic lyrics continue to inspire, now intertwined with a life of activism and altruism. As a campaigner for faith education, ecological consciousness and humanitarian work, Yusuf has become a global advocate for peace and coexistence.

FINDOUT unveils the untold chapters of his remarkable journey, illustrated with dozens of drawings in Yusuf's own hand. Self-penned with raw honesty and poetic insight, he reflects on the challenges, controversies, and triumphs that have defined his life, offering readers a rare glimpse into the soul of a man who has lived multiple lives in one - finally shedding light on all those hidden 'in-betweens'.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Music, Biography, Autobiography, History, Biography Memoir

560 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2025

Reviews

[Justin K. Rivers · Rating 2 out of 5]

As you might expect, about half of the book is devoted to Cat's conversion and subsequent voyage through Islam, including some deep detail that, despite the amount of words thrown at it, still comes across as cursory. It's almost like two different books, in a way. The first half provides some interesting details about his early life and development as an artist. I'm glad some of the timeline of his TB recovery is now in the public record, as it contextualizes some of the myths that have built up around that.

He's always been an odd guy. You can see an interesting tension between his lack of formal education and his very clear intellect and autodidactic ways, and his life of privilege vs his ambiguity regarding fame and the media. The book is well-written, though it has consistent off-notes of glibness and clunky humor. I never get the sense, however, that he's dropping the veneer of his well composed image. And his discourse on Islam...well, I'm not really interested in it. But more to the point, I don't think he has much of interest to say. He comes across as an infatuated fan, not a scholar or a deep thinker on the subject. It plugged a hole in his life and he made it his identity. I don't think his father converted to Islam on his deathbed, for example.

The Salman Rushdie controversy is another part that people are probably interested in. Here, Cat tries to explain himself and perhaps doesn't quite do his best. Simon says "double negative" is how it comes across. I would love to just have someone release all the footage and put the issue to bed, rather than to snipe about it forever. Or, Cat - just say you're sorry?

At the end of the day, I'm glad he wrote the book. Glad he's back making music and has walked back his more extreme stances. I'm also glad that he's here to tell a cogent narrative about how muslim folks, even ones of privilege, are often treated in society. And I'm glad he's spent a lot of his life and money doing something good with it.

Personally, I would have preferred him to talk more about the music, his working methods, arrangements and technical details. Though I suppose I'm in a minority there.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Diversity does not have to obstruct harmonious coexistence..."
This is a beautifully lyrical book--well thought out, well written, personally engaging, intellectually stimulating. I feel like I am a better person for having read it. Bless Yusuf for sharing his road with all of us.
Side Note: I wanted to read this but was willing to wait, however when the concert my sister and son had tickets to see was "Postponed" due to "Visa Issues", I decided that I would support Yusuf by buying it as soon as it was published. Fingers crossed that sanity will prevail and all "Visa issues" will be taken care of so Yusuf can share his story and his songs with his loving and deserving fans. Buy this book. Read this book. It is a great lesson on global tolerance and understanding (and the lack thereof.)

[Bonnie Thrasher · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever wondered what happened to Cat Stevens, this is your book. At over 500 pages, he tells it all. I was blown away by all of the good works his humanitarian efforts have accomplished over these many years. I could only read about fifty pages at a time, unusual for me, because the writing is heady, but very enjoyable. I get it now. Following his enlightenment, he could not continue as our Cat. But “on his road to find out,” he made his way back to us. On his own terms. I think this is what I appreciate most. He did it on his own terms. Well done, my old friend.

[Mayank · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book, and I enjoyed reading through Yusuf’s life story from front to back. While I agree with the previous commenter who wished for more of a musical analysis, especially as a big Cat Stevens fan, that’s not ultimately what this book purports to be: it is exactly as it advertises itself, a story of what exactly happened to Yusuf. I appreciated, for one, learning more about the exact philosophies of Islam, and I almost feel that this is book is an accidental advocate for a more progressive Islam that I believe would be a net-good for the world. While Yusuf’s answer on Salman Rushdie, for one, leaves much to be desired, it’s clear where his values truly lie: aboard that peace train, all along.

I almost knocked a star for just one simple reason: the narrative does feel a little clunky sometimes, and I feel there were many more details about his journey into Islam than there were about his music, that I would have loved, again, more detail about. If Yusuf ever wants to write a second book about his musical journey and the stories behind each song in his catalog, almost like what Joseph Vogel did with Michael Jackson’s music in his respective book, I think that would be a phenomenal follow-up for Tillerman diehards like myself. That being said though, this book doesn’t advertise itself like that: it purports itself to give the answers on what happened. And on that? It succeeds tremendously.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a songwriter, I found this book deeply resonant— not just for its behind-the-scenes glimpses into Cat Stevens’ early fame, studio sessions, and songwriting process, but for the emotional and spiritual journey that shaped his music. Learning that Tea for the Tillerman was written while he was recovering from tuberculosis, facing the possibility of death, gave the album’s spirituality a new depth for me.

What surprised me most, though, was how the book expanded my understanding of Islam. Stevens’ reflections on his conversion are honest, nuanced, and illuminating. He offers Western readers— especially those of us raised in British or American contexts— a perspective that cuts through stereotypes and reveals the beauty, logic, and peace he found in the faith. It’s personal. And that made all the difference.

I came for the music, stayed for the story, and left with a broader view of faith and identity. Highly recommended for fans of Cat Stevens, seekers of spiritual truth, and anyone curious about the intersection of art and belief.

[J.Michael Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed it because of my love for his music.It was quite lengthy. He rattled on a lot about his religion and the Muslim faith,but it defined who he wanted to be.Glad I read it

[Deirdre Clancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

While reading this fascinating, well-written memoir, I was simultaneously re-discovering the music of Jusuf, which I had initially explored in the 1980s as a school kid, and also discovering some of his newer music for the first time. In the '80s, I was enchanted by many of the folky singer-songwriters of the late 1960s and early 1970s. As such, the first thought that strikes me on finishing this extensive memoir is, how could somebody so insanely creatively talented have managed to go through many years in the British education system, with nobody spotting this talent and harnessing it? (In the end, he taught himself, with help from some friends outside the education system, as well as his brother, and it went well.) However, it really does beg some questions about the way education was set up at the time, and perhaps explains to some extent Jusuf Islam's extensive involvement in establishing and running schools for Muslim children in the UK.

The account of the early years growing up in the West End of London above his family-run restaurant is truly absorbing. What an amazing stomping ground for a budding artist: in some ways, it's hardly surprising that the child, then known as Steven, was perhaps more interested in the musical productions happening on his doorstep than in paying attention to school. Another intriguing aspect of this account is how his family's support enabled him to get out of limiting or unfavourable contracts in the 1960s, with his brother being particularly ingenious at coming up with dramatic plans to ensure the bigwigs in the music industry released him from these traps. There have been numerous stories of musicians becoming tied in to deeply unfavourable scenarios, so the business savvy of his family obviously was an asset.

The descriptions of the lifestyle after he initially shot to fame are at times fairly jarring, with copious alcohol, drugs and even orgies mentioned as a regular feature of his life as a pop star. At a certain point, he figured out that there had to be more to life than excess and decadence, and embarked on the spiritual search reflected in his early to mid-70s work, which produced such gems as 'The Wind' (my favourite Yusuf song), 'Boy with a Moon & Star on His Head', and 'Moonshadow'. No doubt, this is why he has survived while some of his contemporaries in the music industry did not.

Despite the lifestyle issues outlined, he appears to have remained pretty workaholic with regard to keeping up his creative output, and on the ball in relation to the business side of his music career. It speaks well for him that he regularly gives credit throughout the memoir to the collaborators and business professionals who worked with him. The memoir also recounts a warm relationship with Jimmy Cliff, rather poignantly, as his death has just been anncounced.

While he reports with honesty that his ego was at times out of control during the early years of his success, as would be the case with pretty much anyone who gets famous at a very young age, this doesn't seem to be an ongoing feature of Yusuf's personality. As scientists have found out in recent years that humans' frontal lobes are only fully formed by the age of 25, perhaps it's time for the world to look at what it does to the very young when it puts them through the star-making system. It appears that nobody emerges entirely unscathed from this system; teenagers simply do not have the inner resources to resist the more decadent side of things when half the world is telling them they are demigods. That said, at least in the 1960s/70s, they tended to be genuinely talented 'demigods', unlike today, when all a person needs to do for adulation is put a few photos through a filter and stick them on Instagram. (I could go on ad nauseum about this issue, but it's a bit off subject.)

Roughly the second half of the book deals with Yusuf's spiritual search, reversion to Islam, and his life on embracing this new path. He appears not to have anticipated becoming a designated Western spokesman for Islam every time there was a geo-political crisis in a predominantly Muslim part of the world. Clearly, he was unprepared for this role and feels it was thrust upon him. On leaving the music industry, he did not have a polished PR operation pumping out carefully worded statements, so was often misconstrued by the media. He gives his side of the Rushdie controversy that was clearly manufactured by the British media (I even thought so at the time - it was clear he was caught off guard and even with that, didn't actually condone the fatwah. While he didn't condemn the Ayatollah either, and this upset some people, it appears to have never struck them that in demanding for him to do so, they may have been asking him to put himself and his family in concrete danger.)

It has always been obvious to me that Yusuf was incredibly sincere in his desire to foster a more peaceful world, and he has taken part in many initiatives aimed at increasing understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims. He seems to have borne his role as occasional handy scapegoat for the media with a lot more grace and decency than most of the rest of us could muster, were we to be so badly misrepresented. He had the integrity to refuse a meeting with Bush to discuss his charitable relief work around the time of the Iraq invasion, which the Chilcot Inquiry and various whistleblowers left us in no doubt was executed under false pretences. This was so obvious to the person on the street by 2006 that my affinity group got unanimously acquitted by a jury after decommissioning a warplane in a faith-based action the run up to the Iraq war, after a long battle, on the grounds that we had a lawful excuse, so the 'damage' was not 'criminal', as we were attempting to protect life and property in Iraq.

Unfortunately, Yusuf Islam was blacklisted, merely due to his refusal to meet Bush, and refused entry to the US on very flimsy stated grounds. This was a time when people were being refused entry for wearing t-shirts with the word 'Peace' on: I was monitoring the political climate closely during those years. The atmosphere was incredibly jingoistic; my memories of this time are vivid due to my own involvements and four-year court battle. The fact that Iraq had no connection to 9/11 and no weapons of mass destruction to merit such heavy-handed military overreach didn't seem to bother those in power. I also remember reading that a frigtening number of Americans surveyed thought Iraq had executed 9/11 by the time the propaganda machine around the Iraq invasion had done its incredibly cynical work.

Bush and Blair's adventure displaced, maimed, and killed many thousands in a country already experiencing incredible hardship through sanctions. UNICEF estimated that at least 500,000 children under the age of 5 died of highly preventable diseases in Iraq because of the UN sanctions, and now they were experiencing further bombardment and death. Atrocities by unstable US troops, such as the Haditha massacre Abu Ghraib torture scandal, helped to create the next generation of resistance in the form of the horrors of ISIS.

We're at a stage now where there is the ridiculous spectacle of harmless old age pensioners willingly being arrested in the UK and officially designated as terrorists, while the inexcusable Gaza humanitarian crisis has also resulted in a collective punishment of Jewish people around the world due to the policies of a country in which they do not live. There is NO excuse for the anti-war movement descending into generalized anti-semitism, just as there is no excuse for generalized prejudice against Muslims.

If Europeans are to have genuine integrity, we must speak up against both of these phenomena: attacks against synagogues and Jews, as well as attacks against Muslims. The spiritual children of Abraham as a whole do not seem to have acquired much wisdom in the last 20 years, but I suspect it's not the spiritually committed ones who engage in such attacks; if they read their own scriptures, they'd be aware of the requirements of justice precluding such random collective punishment and requirements for giving the stranger their due (this reflects ALL Abrahamic traditions). Instead, violence is escalating across the board.

I've spent the past year studying Christian theology at post-graduate level, and have found the writings of William T. Cavanaugh highly insightful on the nature of Western political theology. Cavanaugh thinks we have 'othered' violence from certain extremist religious groups as being irrational because it is religious, and fooled ourselves that the West transcended this aspect of human nature, due to the Enlightenment thinkers outlining why the Wars of Religion were nonsensical. He convincingly traces the history of the European so-called Wars of Religion, proving that they were actually more about territorial concerns and resources. As a result of this narrative we have lazily accepted, in the West, we think we have domesticated religion and consigned it to the private sphere, when in fact it comes out in distorted forms of nationalism. We revere our national flags with elaborate religious liturgies that border on idolatry, while claiming Western, state-sponsored violence is religion-free, and therefore more 'rational'. Nothing could be further from the truth. It also strikes me that, while it's honourable to love one's country and do what is best for it, believers are not supposed to make an idol of their nation. Cavanaugh would maintain that humans are predisposed to worship, and do so by nature. If they're not worshipping God, this impulse comes out in other, distorted forms of worship (consumerism, the state, the official narrative of nation, etc.).

In reality, peaceful committed Muslims and peaceful committed Christians probably have more in common with one another than the politicians who sell this 'clash of civilizations' narrative. While certain popular Christian personalities in the US continue to propagate this ideology, more thoughtful sources are trying to build bridges. For example, Lumen Gentium, a key Vatican II document, states: 'The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day.'

In addition to the above, many have pointed out that the theology of Mary within Catholicism is more in line with that of Islam than even other Christian denominations. While differences are undeniable and must be acknowledged, the project of peace must surely first focus on the similarities between the Abrahamic religions, rather than the differences. Failure to do so is utter hubris. Music is a powerful language in itself; advocates such as Yusuf Islam offer a great way of promoting understanding between people of different faith traditions, as the world journeys onward toward either mutual understanding or mutual destruction. Let's hope the former wins out when the new morning breaks.

[Michelle]

Impatiently waiting to see if my library will have the audiobook.

[Ali Bama · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was introduced to the music of Cat Stevens at around the age 8, when a friend of my dad gave me and my older sister a mixed tape of songs they considered his best at the time (80s). I have memories of walking to school singing Where Will The Children Play with same sister, soon after. This tape helped me try and make sense of a lot of stuff through the tumultuous teens and has always stuck with me as some of my favourite songs and lyrics.

"All the times that I've cried
Keepin' all the things I knew inside
It's hard but it's harder to ignore it..."

Needless to say, I was very excited to see Yusuf in concert in 2010 in Brisbane, Australia.

It was fantastic to read the journey from Cat's perspective. Influences to songs, his life growing up, challenges he faced. The second half of the book is heavily focused on his conversion to Islam after many years seeking more purpose in his life. This makes sense, as it is clear that he is heavily devoted and no doubt a major drive to write the book comes from trying to share the peace he's found through this religion, with the rest if the world.

Be prepared for a lot of Qur'an verses and discussion in that middle to second half. I was particularly unaware of how the Qur'an goes into more depth for some of the classic bible stories I grew up learning about.

An interesting insight into a man whose music has been a big part of my life.

[Clara Parrish]

Not exactly a review, but here’s a playlist I put together with the songs mentioned in ‘On The Road To Find Out’ (in the same order they appear in the book.)

👉 https://spotify.link/LwGKd5ZAIXb

[Tim Gillett · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's long fascinated me how one of our leading singer songwriters suddenly shrank from public view to come back a Muslim and eventually to publicly perform once again. I'm so glad he did - Cat Stevens / Yusuf Islam's appearances at Glastonbury and Hyde Park in recent years will go down long in my memory. Father and Son is quite rightly now regarded as a modern classic, and high on my list of favourites and there are so many others too - Lady D'arbanville, Matthew and Son, Moonshadow, First Cut Is The Deepest, his version of an old Scottish melody which was turned into Morning Has Broken.

I'm also glad he's explained how and why he embraced Islam. Half of the book from the late seventies to the present day is dedicated to his ongoing search for what he calls "find out" which I translate as his search for the afterlife and eternal life.

An over riding attraction of his being from his early years and right through his religious conversion to the present day is his search and desire for world peace and his hatred of conflict and oppression. It's clear he's put his money where his mouth is and used his personal wealth to foster peace.

I'm heartened by him highlighting the oppression of innocent Muslims in wars around the world, especially the ongoing victimisation of the Palestinian people and you can feel his sorrow and quiet anger and desperation from his writing. You can also feel his seething fury as he relates incidents when he was turned back from entering Israel and the United States, and one of his children shamed and refused access to her account in a leading bank - all because of their faith and the sometimes irrational fear of Muslims by western societies which have become victims of Islamic terrorist attacks. He writes at length how the Muslim faith has been tarnished by Islamic fanatics but also by western intervention in the middle east and he shows a deep understanding of the sorry state of world affairs. He, like I and many others, understands the causes of some Muslims turning to terrorism.

Yet through all this he stresses the simple message of his Muslim faith which is to love and care for others through a message of peace and living in harmony. He acknowledges that this is similar to other world faiths, especially the Catholic faith which he experienced as a boy, and throughout the book he writes of respect for Jesus and his profound message of love thy neighbour as thyself. It's a loss to the Catholic church that Cat didn't stay a Christian and become a devout messenger and ambassador for that faith rather than for Islam, because he doesn't fully explain for me why he gave up one for the other when actually they share so many similarities in their teachings, doctrine, morals, recipe for simple living and search for and belief in what happens to us after our deaths. That's not to detract from his innermost belief and commitment as a Muslim. As the book illustrates, he has become a personal powerhouse for Islam, a rare world figure from pop and showbiz accepted by his former pop fans and by non pop fans.

His position as an out there Muslim in pop got me thinking of other stars of other world faiths who are also open, honest and evangelical about their beliefs and I'm pushed to name one. I find that sad, though I guess it shows that for many faith is a private matter, separate from their public persona.

Yet there is a very thorny issue which he's honest enough to tackle and eventually settle - whether his devout Muslim faith allows him to perform his pop hits of the 60's and 70's. You can feel the mental torture and opposition from some Muslims as he quotes from the Qur'an as to whether, over a number of years, he thinks it's acceptable to literally pick up his guitar again which he hasn't touched for years. Why? Because as he delves deep as a fresh convert to Islam, he is swept up in the puritanical teachings of Islam which, he writes, do not allow the irreverent decadence of that former pop star lifestyle of casual sex, drink and drugs. It even gets down to him working out which of his former songs won't offend his religious beliefs and brethren. It's fascinating as he reaches the point where he concludes that his talent to bring joy and happiness as a singer is in keeping with his faith.

There's such a contrast between his pop star days of searching for and dating elusive beautiful women and his later commitment as a Muslim to his wife and the importance of his burgeoning family. It's clear how treasured his children have become to him, indeed how family is his rock. In describing the loss of his Swedish Baptist mother and his Greek Cypriot Orthodox father, it reveals the closeness of family is all important to him.

As much as I was fascinated by the Muslim half, as I'll call it, of his autobiography, I'm captivated by the first half of his upbringing around his parents' cafe close to London's theatre land, his early friendships at school including an incident which could have resulted in his death, and his description of how and where some of his most famous songs came about. Musical stardom and success didn't come easily and fast, as in the case of some popular music performers, as he follows Bob Dylan's thought that a song's "words need to mean something."

For someone like me, who loves finding out the inspiration for and history of individual songs, there isn't enough detail in the book. For example he describes Morning Has Broken, his first cover, as a tune he discovered "too enchanting for words," and goes on to tell how Rick Wakeman replaced his own "on finger piano style" to give us the beautiful Cat Stevens recording, which interestingly used to open Essex Radio's faith programme every Sunday morning. But for my thirst for pop facts, it isn't enough. I want to know how many takes Cat took, whether he recorded it with Rick or separately, his surprise or not at it being used in church services and schools universally and whether as a Muslim it, being "a Christian hymn," is still acceptable for him to perform.

It's similar to other anecdotes too - his memory of The First Cut Is The Deepest being recorded first by PP Arnold and then most commercially, the superlative version by Rod Stewart. I wanted to know how he thinks they compare with his own, which one he prefers as the writer, which one brings his song to life.

The list goes on but I guess that's a separate book. I'm thankful though for details like Peace Train not being on the album Tea For The Tillerman as it was too raw. His memory of Moonshadow is enchanting, the song that "almost wrote itself." I won't spoil your chance of discovering it for yourself.

I'm fascinated by his search for love and his liaisons., especially by his revelation that he was "the dashing, dark, Greek warrior" who swept Carly Simon off her feet and how they "played out" a "kind of unreal relationship," as they "spent a lot of our much-in-demand time together." What a couple they must have made!

His long search for a woman to marry probably comes, by his own admission, from his natural shyness, which is something I never imagined. He writes about the need to look cool, especially on stage, a need he says he no longer requires. After converting to Islam, he writes "practising Muslim girls were hard uo bump into," and one old flame who was also Muslim and a "strikingly beautiful" woman who encounters him praying makes him wonder if it might lead to something more profound. After "awkward moments" and shyness, it becomes clear " we were at cross angles." A few paragraphs later, he recounts how a prayer to Allah from the Qur'an led to romance - " it all began to happen" and eventual marriage, with a little input from his mother, to Fawziah.

Its interesting how a photo of a good looking, very hairy and very early 70's Cat Stevens at the height of his pop stardom is on the front cover of his book and a photo of the grey, bespectacled, simply dressed Muslim Yusuf Islam is on the back. Each photograph captures kindness in his face. He has a very friendly expression. I suppose the positions of the photo match the position of the two halves of the book, though thinking cynically, did the publisher think the older Cat Stevens would sell more copies than the now Yusuf Islam?

Finally, a word about another of his talents - art. I didn't realise till I read this book that he drew the artwork for several of his LP covers, and there's a charming drawing by him introducing each chapter.

[Paul Sutter]

Before starting CAT ON THE ROAD TO FINDOUT, I decided to play a CD I had of Cat Steven’s greatest hits. I had forgotten almost some of the standout tunes, songs that I played over and over nearly five decades ago. And then I began reading the book, totally fascinated from page one at the life and times of this most talented musician.
While reading, some of the his hits Peace Train, Morning Has Broken, and Wild World echoed in my head, as we learned about most intimate moments of this man’s life and times. The fact the book is well over 500 pages, means this is not just a superficial account of his life. It looks into the deepest corners of his past, telling of the pleasure at recording his classic tunes, before like took a very distinct turn and his life went into a vastly different direction.
We learn about his earlier years and embracing life in West End London. There was also one of his first girlfriends that he mentions, but it didn’t work out. It was the inspiration for his song The First Cut Is The Deepest. I became aware of that song thanks to the cover of the song by a Canadian singer Keith Hampshire. But I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that one of my favorite songs from the Tremeloes, Here Comes My Baby, was indeed written by Cat Stevens.
There were many sixties stars who were the catalyst for his venture into the world of music, and the songs he created seemed to satisfy his soul and longing to make music for the world to enjoy. But life has other plans for him when he suffered from tuberculosis and was hospitalized for several months. Music was very beneficial for Yusf/Cat, and then well into the seventies he reached a point where he had a different focus on life and more than music. Call it a quest to find himself if you will, but he entered a more spiritual phase, where he found the Qur’an to be a true source of inspiration, and reading about the world of Islam became the central focus of his life.
Music was now secondary to that quest for spirituality, and in 1981 he auctioned off all his instruments, the proceeds going to charity. It was the world of Islam that was his focus, and as well he established the United Kingdom’s first government-assisted Muslim faith schools. He also created a number of charitable organizations for the betterment of life for many. But once he became Yusuf, the world seemed to regard him differently, especially when it came to Salman Rushdie and the release of his book The Satanic Verses. There was a fatwa on Rushdie’s life and a death warrant out for him, the media believing Yusuf/Cat was all in on this as well. But there was also a misunderstanding of his stance on this, Yusuf/Cat insists.
He was targeted often when he traveled, singled out to the point that years later whenever he came to the US he was body-searched and there would be more thorough scrutiny of him entering America. He has gotten back to his music, and he wants harmony and peace for all nations. It is a most fascinating look into the life and conversion of Stevens, and the fact his heart has always been in the right place regardless of the media’s missteps in reporting of his life. He sets the record completely straight here.

[David Allwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cat Stevens was a very talented and very beloved singer / songwriter rising to iconic fame and international adulation throughout the 1970’s, providing an epically quintessential soundtrack to that turbulent decade. In the 1980’s, at his peak, he boldly retired from the music industry to embrace Islam and to become a Muslim which was hugely controversial, having become even more so based on the violence and vilification which has occurred over the last several decades. To now write his autobiography is another brave act and one where the line between acceptance and cancellation could have been particularly thin. Fortunately, in ‘Cat on the Road to Find Out’, Yusuf (formerly Cat Stevens) uses his formidable lyrical and literary talents to explain his philosophy and pursuit of peace. He neither backs down nor walks back as he articulately examines the evolution of his beliefs. The author is consistently authentic, honest, and forthright and is undaunted in exploring controversial issues such as the fatwa against Salman Rushdie and the 9/11 attacks. Sometimes the book lapses into idealism and, although Yusuf is not naive, he certainly displays a genuine innocence in asking why peace can’t be maintained. This inspiring book is not just for the fans but for anyone interested in well articulated convictions and the courage to maintain beliefs in a rapidly changing world where those with a platform regularly shift ideologies to suit selfish whims.

[Christine Busuttil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being a big fan of Cat Steven’s as teen I was really looking forward to reading this.
I enjoyed his account of his childhood ,teens and early musical career very much
Having read accounts from musical peers of his time the exploitation he received seemed part of the course however some coped with it better than others .He did however have family looking out for him.
As his biography progressed I found myself skimming more and more as he talks about his quest to align his beliefs with his musical career,particularly when there were lots of quotes.
I do however feel I understand him and where he has travelled over the years a little more.
As he says there is so much left to know for us all

[Pedro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great in-depth autobiography: multicultural from the start and cheesy (and humourous) in parts with odd graphic memories i.e. the tale of the fella in the cinema alleyway

I enjoyed learning about his songs and the influence behind them, which have also helped shape my own music and life journey.

A chunk of the read is given over to Cat's alignment with Islam and explains his disappearance from the music world.

I read this following the opportunity to see him live in Bristol. Yusuf / Cat charmed and didn't disappoint. May you live and inspire for years to come.

[Stitchywoman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be an easy quick read. It was very nostalgic for me, Cat/Yusuf used a lot of verses from his songs throughout the book which I could hear him singing in my head as I read them. The majority of the book is about his religious journey as he navigated life. Although I am very secure in my own religious beliefs, I did find it interesting to learn about Islam and the Muslim view of the western world.

[Christine Simcic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm left with mad respect for Yusuf. He was true to himself. I appreciate his intellect and introspection. In this book, he succeeded in telling his story in a straightforward way. The time he has spent on charitable causes and providing a bridge between western thought and Islam has been well spent.

[Kenneth Feeney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half of the book is about his coming of age in London son a Greek father and Swedish mother. The second half about his conversion to Islam. Almost, in my opinion, an evangelistic appeal to the reader.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite the tome (at 550+ pages). Was enjoyable reading, although don't believe I fully absorbed the Muslim connection. Did not realize the great lengths he's taken to try and make this world a better place. Hopefully, we'll all be on the same Peace Train, someday. A true prophet.