Hadi Jassim is the author of Tears in Paradise and a Smile in Hell, published in March 2024. He is the father of two sons and a stepdaughter and has three grandchildren. He graduated in electronics from Queen Mary College in 1972, obtained an M.Sc. from Sheffield University in 1973 and then a Ph.D. in computer control in 1976. He had a fulfilling career working for IT companies in the UK and Europe and co-authored a book on project management for IT in 1995.