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Lakshmi Iyer

Goodreads Author

Website

http://lgiyer.com

Twitter

lakshgiri

Genre

Children's, Fiction, Memoir

Member Since

September 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/glaksh

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Lakshmi G. Iyer is a Tamil American novelist, essayist, and children's book author writing about open transracial adoption from the Indian American adoptive-parent side, motherhood, identity, and belonging. Her books include the essay collection The Smudged Hyphen (2026), the novels Hindsight (2024) and A Star Keeps Its Distance (2026), and the middle-grade Why Is My Hair Curly? (Westland/Red Panda, 2020), with a companion, Why Is My Skin Brown? (Westland/Red Panda, 2026).

Her essays and reporting have appeared in The Hindu, Huffington Post, Motherwell Magazine, Adoptive Families, The Week India, Verve India, and Mutha Magazine, among others. She has spoken on transracial adoption and South Asian American life on NPR's The Takeaway, BBC Asia ...more

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Lakshmi Iyer’s books

Average rating: 4.37 · 203 ratings · 63 reviews · 9 distinct works • Similar authors

	Why is My Hair Curly? 4.34 avg rating — 156 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Desi Modern Love: An Anthology of True Stories by Ranjani Rao (Goodreads Author), Nandini Patwardhan (Goodreads Author), Kalpana Mohan 4.65 avg rating — 17 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hindsight 4.56 avg rating — 16 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	I Am Strength!: True Stories of Everyday Superwomen by Alyssa Waugh (Editor), Martha Frankel (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Lakshmi Iyer (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.10 avg rating — 10 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Star Keeps Its Distance really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 7 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	emerge 16: the Writer's Studio Anthology by The Writer's Studio (Editor), Lakshmi Iyer (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Raoul Fernandes (Goodreads Author) (Foreword) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Smudged Hyphen: Essays on Family, Identity, and the Art of Belonging 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	I AM STRENGTH: True Stories of Everyday Superwomen it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Why is My Skin Brown? it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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724 posts
Lakshmi Iyer's Blog

Do You Still Practice Astrology?

“Do you still practice astrology?” I get some version of this question every once in a while and my answer usually is “not anymore” or “no time to do it well”. I enjoy reading charts. I love distilling archetypes from the chart and seeing which parts resonate and those that don’t. The act of reading […]

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Published on July 22, 2026 10:45

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Lakshmi Iyer wrote a new blog post Do You Still Practice Astrology? “Do you still practice astrology?” I get some version of this question every once in a while and my answer usually is “not anymore” or “no time to do Read more of this blog post »
Jul 23, 2026 04:27AM · like
Lakshmi rated a book it was amazing Why is My Skin Brown? by Lakshmi Iyer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 21, 2026 03:57AM · like
Lakshmi rated a book it was amazing Why is My Skin Brown? by Lakshmi Iyer (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jul 13, 2026 10:36AM · like
Lakshmi Iyer is accepting questions on their profile page.
Jul 13, 2026 07:22AM · Be the first to ask Lakshmi Iyer a question
Lakshmi rated a book it was amazing Appalachian Elegy: Poetry and Place (Kentucky Voices) by bell hooks	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 25, 2026 10:56AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Appalachian Elegy by bell hooks. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Appalachian Elegy by bell hooks <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Lakshmi wants to read Desperately Seeking Shah Rukh: Indias Lonely Young Women and the Search for Intimacy and Independence by Shrayana Bhattacharya	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 19, 2026 01:59PM · like
Lakshmi wants to read The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 19, 2026 01:59PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Lakshmi wants to read At the Broken Places: A Mother and Trans Son Pick Up the Pieces (Queer Action/Queer Ideas, a Unique Series Addressing Pivotal Issues Within the Lgbtq Movement) by Mary Collins (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 19, 2026 01:59PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of At the Broken Places by Mary Collins. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — At the Broken Places by Mary Collins <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Lakshmi wants to read Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 19, 2026 01:58PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Lakshmi wants to read The Look by Michelle Obama (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jun 19, 2026 01:57PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Look by Michelle Obama. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Look by Michelle Obama <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">