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The Lucky Ones: A Memoir
About the Book
THIS SURVIVOR’S MEMOIR OF THE GUJARAT POGROM 0F 2002 IS A DEEPLY AFFECTING, NECESSARY READ.
In 2002, as Gujarat begins to burn, Zara Chowdhary is sixteen years old, living with her family in Ahmedabad and on the verge of taking her board exams. Suddenly, she, her family and neighbours find themselves under a three-month siege and fearing for their lives. The Lucky Ones traces the past of her multigenerational Muslim family to India’s brave but bloody origins, a segregated city’s ancient past and the lingering hurt causing bloodshed on the streets. Symphonic interludes offer glimpses into the precious, ordinary lives of Muslims, all locked together in a crumbling apartment building in the city’s old quarters, with their ability to forgive and find laughter, to offer grace even as the world outside, and their place in it, falls apart.
The Lucky Ones entwines lost histories across a subcontinent, examines forgotten myths, prods a family’s secrets and gazes unflinchingly back at a country rushing to move past one of the biggest pogroms in its modern history. It is a warning thrown to the world by a young survivor, to democracies that fail to protect their vulnerable, and to homes that won’t listen to their daughters. It is an ode to India’s unique Islamic heritage and the rebellion of a young woman who insists she will belong to her land, family and faith on her own terms.
About the Author
Zara Chowdhary is a writer and lecturer at the University of Wisconsin. She has an MFA in creative writing and environment from Iowa State University and a master’s in writing for performance from the University of Leeds. She has previously written for documentary television, advertising and film. She lives in Wisconsin, USA, with her partner, child and two cats.
THIS SURVIVOR’S MEMOIR OF THE GUJARAT POGROM 0F 2002 IS A DEEPLY AFFECTING, NECESSARY READ.
In 2002, as Gujarat begins to burn, Zara Chowdhary is sixteen years old, living with her family in Ahmedabad and on the verge of taking her board exams. Suddenly, she, her family and neighbours find themselves under a three-month siege and fearing for their lives. The Lucky Ones traces the past of her multigenerational Muslim family to India’s brave but bloody origins, a segregated city’s ancient past and the lingering hurt causing bloodshed on the streets. Symphonic interludes offer glimpses into the precious, ordinary lives of Muslims, all locked together in a crumbling apartment building in the city’s old quarters, with their ability to forgive and find laughter, to offer grace even as the world outside, and their place in it, falls apart.
The Lucky Ones entwines lost histories across a subcontinent, examines forgotten myths, prods a family’s secrets and gazes unflinchingly back at a country rushing to move past one of the biggest pogroms in its modern history. It is a warning thrown to the world by a young survivor, to democracies that fail to protect their vulnerable, and to homes that won’t listen to their daughters. It is an ode to India’s unique Islamic heritage and the rebellion of a young woman who insists she will belong to her land, family and faith on her own terms.
About the Author
Zara Chowdhary is a writer and lecturer at the University of Wisconsin. She has an MFA in creative writing and environment from Iowa State University and a master’s in writing for performance from the University of Leeds. She has previously written for documentary television, advertising and film. She lives in Wisconsin, USA, with her partner, child and two cats.
342 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 16, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
August 13, 2024
This is a memoir of the author's experiences growing up in Gujarat, India, principally Ahmedabad, before and around the 2002 riots/pogrom/genocide, in which thousands of Gujarati Muslims were targeted, attacked, often sexually assaulted, and murdered. This is not a story most people know, but a necessary one to understanding modern India and its current regime.
Chowdhary carefully lays out the class and caste and faith geography of Ahmedabad. The attacks follow from a foundation of micro and macro aggressions. To be Muslim is to not belong. Who will protect you? But the parts that stick with me are the moments of integration and brief belonging to India - dancing garba for Navratri, learning Sanskrit. Like her tumultuous home life, you hope for reconciliation, even though you know they can't find it there.
A generation before 2002, I was born in Ahmedabad too, the hometown of my mother before me. We are of this soil, Indian and Gujarati first and Muslim more incidentally, though many have sought to invert that relationship. And while we'd long emigrated from India by 2002, we have other family who were there then, and some who are still there now. So reading this was like reading the history of my own people.
Chowdhary carefully lays out the class and caste and faith geography of Ahmedabad. The attacks follow from a foundation of micro and macro aggressions. To be Muslim is to not belong. Who will protect you? But the parts that stick with me are the moments of integration and brief belonging to India - dancing garba for Navratri, learning Sanskrit. Like her tumultuous home life, you hope for reconciliation, even though you know they can't find it there.
A generation before 2002, I was born in Ahmedabad too, the hometown of my mother before me. We are of this soil, Indian and Gujarati first and Muslim more incidentally, though many have sought to invert that relationship. And while we'd long emigrated from India by 2002, we have other family who were there then, and some who are still there now. So reading this was like reading the history of my own people.
October 19, 2024
can think of quite a few ppl who would benefit from reading this
August 15, 2024
I wish I knew better words to describe this book. It was brilliant, sorrowful, and defiant. Chowdhary gives us a deftly layered biography of how her family survived the mass violence of hindutva and Modi’s Gujarat and how she survived the violence of a confining and hostile patriarchal home. I loved how history and the present were ever woven through the events of 2002. This is a courageous work of truth telling. It is also a beautiful love letter to Chowdhary’s sister and mother. As I finished the last page, my cheeks still wet with tears, I felt so much gratitude to this book and author for baring a piece of her soul.
July 19, 2024
will plan to write a proper review soon iA but this is a book I will not forget, a book I will recommend and gift and talk about and think about for a long long time.
incredible writing, weaving together scenes and stories from the Gujarat massacres of 2002 with scenes and stories of growing up in Ahmedabad at that time, the effect of the massacres on self/nationhood, family, and so much more.
incredible writing, weaving together scenes and stories from the Gujarat massacres of 2002 with scenes and stories of growing up in Ahmedabad at that time, the effect of the massacres on self/nationhood, family, and so much more.
September 8, 2024
I don’t have proper words to describe the utter awe and emotion that this book surged through me. It was heartbreaking, horrifying, astonishing and truly a remarkable and raw account of events of genocide against a people. The people and women in this memoir will be living with me for, I feel, the rest of my life after reading this. Highly recommend to anyone reading this review. Just be sure to have a box of tissues on hand.
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June 22, 2025This memoir by Zara Chowdhary exemplifies brilliant storytelling. Her motifs and connections between her childhood and grander themes in the history of humanity point to a literary intelligence that developed from questioning her own suffering at an early age. The atrocities and heartbreaks that led her to have a heightened sense of sensitivity, empathy, and self-reflection were all too familiar. Her memoir, despite being so personal, exemplified the global struggle to fit in a nation and home who seem to reject and despise you. It breaks my heart that sometimes the only solution to finding safety and care is to leave.
My only criticisms would be that sometimes facts seemed to change slightly whenever a story is repeated in the book, disrupting the cohesion, and the use of present tense was maybe too much. Other than that, no notes. How luck we are to have a writer like Zara Chowdhary to document the pain of a society and preserve memory.
My only criticisms would be that sometimes facts seemed to change slightly whenever a story is repeated in the book, disrupting the cohesion, and the use of present tense was maybe too much. Other than that, no notes. How luck we are to have a writer like Zara Chowdhary to document the pain of a society and preserve memory.
August 20, 2024
One of the best memoirs to come out in a long, long time. Lyrical, evocative and poignant. Portrays what it takes to be a Muslim in Modi’s Gujarat, to live through a pogrom, to be a guinea pig of the laboratory that RSS has made out of Gujarat.
This is yet to be a released in India, but in today’s times, it would be nothing less than an act of courage to release it here. But as and when it is released, I would love to gift it to friends to make them truly understand what it is like to live through these times.
Cannot stop recommending this enough, and raving about it. Thank you, Zara Chowdhary for bringing this out, expressing and baring your soul!
This is yet to be a released in India, but in today’s times, it would be nothing less than an act of courage to release it here. But as and when it is released, I would love to gift it to friends to make them truly understand what it is like to live through these times.
Cannot stop recommending this enough, and raving about it. Thank you, Zara Chowdhary for bringing this out, expressing and baring your soul!
August 16, 2024
The slow pace and the timeline jumps were occasionally confusing when it came to tracking some specific events and legal changes targeting India's Muslims. But overall the author's writing is precise, emotional, effective and often haunting. Some passages really did take my breath away. Much of what Chowdhary writes reflects how India's recent and ongoing state sanctioned discrimination and persecution has affected her family and destroyed her community. But her memoir is also a cautionary tale for how some of our country's "democratic" allies are using ruthless practices to justify crushing minority populations. And it should be a red flag when our candidates support or even admire what's being done.
July 17, 2024
I had the good fortune of meeting Zara when she was working in film. There, her attention to detail, capacious empathy in bringing her subjects to life, and instinct for compelling story were apparent.
It comes as no surprise that her memoir, “The Lucky Ones”, leverages all the same qualities to present a memoir that’s equal parts family history and an unflinching account of state-sanctioned violence and horror.
“The Lucky Ones” is written by someone who knows the weight of what it means to bear witness, about an event that too few people in the United States know of, from a perspective that’s so desperately needed.
It comes as no surprise that her memoir, “The Lucky Ones”, leverages all the same qualities to present a memoir that’s equal parts family history and an unflinching account of state-sanctioned violence and horror.
“The Lucky Ones” is written by someone who knows the weight of what it means to bear witness, about an event that too few people in the United States know of, from a perspective that’s so desperately needed.
August 21, 2024
Heartbreaking. Illuminating. Eye opening. A testament to the strength of family especially the power of a mother’s love. A heartsick love song to India and to Islam. I really enjoyed this read even though much of it was difficult to read. What was done to Muslim families, to women and children, is truly horrific. I didn’t know much about the very recent history and breadth of violence that tore through India in the early 2000s. Zara is an incredible writer and a strong human being to be able to write of her pain with such clarity. This is definitely worth reading.
November 10, 2024
If there’s one book to be read this year, it is this one. I really wanted to read good memoirs this year and this is as good as it gets. I will be coming back to this book for years. In awe of the author’s ability to write a story that weaves so many different topics into one and does all of them justice. Zara has a gift of writing and I can’t wait to read more of her works.
Also a note on how it really takes a special writer to tell stories of so much loss without turning them into trauma for consumption only. The stories felt alive and real and very much part of the fabric of the world we are living and fighting in. May the oppressed see freedom and justice.
Also a note on how it really takes a special writer to tell stories of so much loss without turning them into trauma for consumption only. The stories felt alive and real and very much part of the fabric of the world we are living and fighting in. May the oppressed see freedom and justice.
June 4, 2024
This book was so descriptive and made me feel so much sympathy towards the author. This book talked about the author's life during a terrible time in India and how much effect her family had. I liked that we got to see the different relationships with her family members. I don't rate memoirs or nonfiction books because I feel like that is disrespectful to the auhor, especially if the book is about their life. I would like to thank NetGalley, Crown and Zara Chowdhary for this beautifully written book. Releases July 16!
January 2, 2025
Thank you Crown for the free copy!
Chowdhary’s memoir is moving and details a genocide most Americans never learned about in school or through media. Her writing pulls you in and accounts bring the massacre’s horror to life.
However, I do wish that the author included maps of India and a few explanations of foreign terms to aid my and other readers’ understanding.
Chowdhary’s memoir is moving and details a genocide most Americans never learned about in school or through media. Her writing pulls you in and accounts bring the massacre’s horror to life.
However, I do wish that the author included maps of India and a few explanations of foreign terms to aid my and other readers’ understanding.
November 11, 2024
Someone else wrote “Brilliant, sorrowful, defiant” and I fully agree.
September 15, 2025
I loved this book and found myself in its pages. Beautifully and bravely written. Zara gives a voice to the forgotten cruelties and discrimination after a horrible event in 2002 in India.
August 27, 2025
Do you know what happens when religiosity takes over the human psyche, even for a short while? What happens to those who suddenly become a minority? How do people cope — do they ever breathe again, or just succumb to animosity for a lifetime?
Zara Chowdhary’s account, based on her experience as a 16-year-old during the 2002 Gujarat riots in Ahmedabad, captures emotions that are difficult to name. Her narration shows how the politics of us vs. them affects everyday lives, children’s emotional well-being, and the resilience of marginalized communities.
The book is a little repetitive and written from a relatively privileged perspective, which takes away some of its immediacy. Still, The Lucky Ones remains a must-read for those who want to understand India’s communal scars.
Zara Chowdhary’s account, based on her experience as a 16-year-old during the 2002 Gujarat riots in Ahmedabad, captures emotions that are difficult to name. Her narration shows how the politics of us vs. them affects everyday lives, children’s emotional well-being, and the resilience of marginalized communities.
The book is a little repetitive and written from a relatively privileged perspective, which takes away some of its immediacy. Still, The Lucky Ones remains a must-read for those who want to understand India’s communal scars.
November 26, 2024
Very interesting insight into the Muslim-Hindu conflict in India. However, don’t recommend reading two memoirs in a row.
June 10, 2026
[forgot to post this months ago... was just waiting to add quotes at the end]
I read this for my South Asian history class, it's an instant favorite. Chowdhary combines the narrative of early-2000s communal violence and terror with the memories and emotions of her coming-of-age in parallel. The story ranges from the late 90s and early 2000s, with the burning of the Sabarmati Express in 2002 and subsequent riots in Gujarat, to 2024, with Modi confirmed for his 3rd term as PM and the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
I really enjoyed Chowdhary's writing style. Each chapter has a direction and weight attached to it. I read the second half of this book in a day and I feel like it did more justice to the material, since previously I'd been squeezing in between 5-30 mins of reading whenever I had time and kept losing my connection to the gravity of the material. Side note, it was satisfying to read her Hinglish sentences and stories of growing up in an "Eastern" household, it was surprising how many parallels I was able to draw with my own childhood. Another side note, this book reminded me a bit of Human Acts by Han Kang (#shoutouthenry). Overall a great read and I'm glad I chose it for my book report!
"Allah doesn't mind seeing my fingers, I'm told. But can They see and hear my heart under all this cloth?"
"Girti hui diwar ka saaya na batao, phir se nayi diwar uthao toh bane baat. Don't point at the shadow of a fallen wall. Let's see you build one. Yet again."
"To become aware of your minority status brings with it this understanding of the ghetto. It is a place that constantly saves you, even as every day it threatens to kill you on the inside."
"What is faith if not memory emanating from the dark shrines of our being, our own bodies, and finding us in moments when we most need it?"
"I don't need exams. I'm learning right here, feet glued to this tile on Dadi's mosaic floor, how passive voice changes everything, how words cover unspeakable things. How a clash is really a Hindutva mob running over yet another Muslim home/business/neighborhood, cowering, terrified innocent people. How stabbing means tridents, those holiest of weapons, smeared in human blood. How killed in police firing means shot when they resisted their slaughter. I'm learning that as I stand here safe in Jasmine, tenth graders in refugee camps a few blocks away have forgotten what homes and schools look like."
"...mothers are your first nation. A mother is the land your feet take root in."
"I wish I were a river
I'd skim both shores with reverence
A daughter touching the feet
Of both her parents."
"The Islam of an Indian Muslim is one of good tarbiyat. We have lived for centuries in this nation as a minority, across the ocean from Mecca, across the border from Pakistan, maintaining our dignity. My faith is not anchored by geography. Just as my belonging to my father is not measured by my distance from his grave."
I read this for my South Asian history class, it's an instant favorite. Chowdhary combines the narrative of early-2000s communal violence and terror with the memories and emotions of her coming-of-age in parallel. The story ranges from the late 90s and early 2000s, with the burning of the Sabarmati Express in 2002 and subsequent riots in Gujarat, to 2024, with Modi confirmed for his 3rd term as PM and the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
I really enjoyed Chowdhary's writing style. Each chapter has a direction and weight attached to it. I read the second half of this book in a day and I feel like it did more justice to the material, since previously I'd been squeezing in between 5-30 mins of reading whenever I had time and kept losing my connection to the gravity of the material. Side note, it was satisfying to read her Hinglish sentences and stories of growing up in an "Eastern" household, it was surprising how many parallels I was able to draw with my own childhood. Another side note, this book reminded me a bit of Human Acts by Han Kang (#shoutouthenry). Overall a great read and I'm glad I chose it for my book report!
"Allah doesn't mind seeing my fingers, I'm told. But can They see and hear my heart under all this cloth?"
"Girti hui diwar ka saaya na batao, phir se nayi diwar uthao toh bane baat. Don't point at the shadow of a fallen wall. Let's see you build one. Yet again."
"To become aware of your minority status brings with it this understanding of the ghetto. It is a place that constantly saves you, even as every day it threatens to kill you on the inside."
"What is faith if not memory emanating from the dark shrines of our being, our own bodies, and finding us in moments when we most need it?"
"I don't need exams. I'm learning right here, feet glued to this tile on Dadi's mosaic floor, how passive voice changes everything, how words cover unspeakable things. How a clash is really a Hindutva mob running over yet another Muslim home/business/neighborhood, cowering, terrified innocent people. How stabbing means tridents, those holiest of weapons, smeared in human blood. How killed in police firing means shot when they resisted their slaughter. I'm learning that as I stand here safe in Jasmine, tenth graders in refugee camps a few blocks away have forgotten what homes and schools look like."
"...mothers are your first nation. A mother is the land your feet take root in."
"I wish I were a river
I'd skim both shores with reverence
A daughter touching the feet
Of both her parents."
"The Islam of an Indian Muslim is one of good tarbiyat. We have lived for centuries in this nation as a minority, across the ocean from Mecca, across the border from Pakistan, maintaining our dignity. My faith is not anchored by geography. Just as my belonging to my father is not measured by my distance from his grave."
January 20, 2026
Good but hard read. While the core of story is the Godhra incident in Ahmedabad and it's aftermath of violence it's also a story of one family captured in the midst of this and also their internal and external conflicts. I am sure there are many such families, many such untold stories.
For an outsider (especially Western readers who haven't lived in India) this story could be confusing in the many daily aspects of living in a joint family and in a community rife with religious tensions. It's may be easy to draw conclusions but the reality is that it is a complex mix of history and culture with heavy dose of politics. The sad thing is that common, innocent people get caught in the midst and bear the brunt of it.
You can see the tensions within the family itself, be it husband-wife, father-daughters, mother-in-law & daughter-in-law, brother-sister and with the community, neighbors and friends. The author has done a good job of describing these. Sometimes the writing gets too sentimental or dreamy but still it kept me engaged.
For an outsider (especially Western readers who haven't lived in India) this story could be confusing in the many daily aspects of living in a joint family and in a community rife with religious tensions. It's may be easy to draw conclusions but the reality is that it is a complex mix of history and culture with heavy dose of politics. The sad thing is that common, innocent people get caught in the midst and bear the brunt of it.
You can see the tensions within the family itself, be it husband-wife, father-daughters, mother-in-law & daughter-in-law, brother-sister and with the community, neighbors and friends. The author has done a good job of describing these. Sometimes the writing gets too sentimental or dreamy but still it kept me engaged.
September 10, 2025
So good.
This book heavily revolves around oppression. Oppression towards a culture. Oppression towards a religion. Oppression towards a gender. Oppression towards class. Each of these are brought out in the first chapter of the book itself.
As a Hindu male part of a wealthy family, I'm soaked in privilege. This book showed me that I'm an anomaly. I've never been discriminated because of who I am.
Coming to the book: Starts and ends so so well. It did slump in between as she went into random stories of her life.
But the overarching setting of the 2002 riots was gripping.
- Her father is so wonderfully complex. I understand, I empathize but I also lash out.
- Her mom is just a wonderful soul stuck in a bad place.
- I wish there was more Misba.
This book heavily revolves around oppression. Oppression towards a culture. Oppression towards a religion. Oppression towards a gender. Oppression towards class. Each of these are brought out in the first chapter of the book itself.
As a Hindu male part of a wealthy family, I'm soaked in privilege. This book showed me that I'm an anomaly. I've never been discriminated because of who I am.
Coming to the book: Starts and ends so so well. It did slump in between as she went into random stories of her life.
But the overarching setting of the 2002 riots was gripping.
- Her father is so wonderfully complex. I understand, I empathize but I also lash out.
- Her mom is just a wonderful soul stuck in a bad place.
- I wish there was more Misba.
June 28, 2026
I have so much to say about this but ill keep it short. I was recommended this and I am so glad I picked it up as I have been looking for a Indian Muslim female authors who writes in English (there are quite a few in kerala but they all write in Malayalam and the translations aren't great)
Her perspective into the Gujarat riots and how the intolerancy shaped how they live their lives for generations was so disheartening to read. I couldn't relate to her more on growing up as a girl in an indian/muslim household. Honestly just in the first 50 pages, I was left speechless.
I couldn't recommend this enough, especially if you're indian. I just left the book with so much anger and helplessness. I grew up in a bubble being a malayali in the gulf. My name or my religion didn't ever define me in either of these places. I didn't even realise how much of a privilege that was. I never understood how my name and the religion i was born into would come before me until I left this bubble. The start was probably hearing my friends say how they would never date a Muslim because they much rather tolerate their parents intolerant views or how my resident card could take time just because my name sounds muslim. You let things like that slide but man this book has got me so enraged. If I could give it 6 stars I would haha
Her perspective into the Gujarat riots and how the intolerancy shaped how they live their lives for generations was so disheartening to read. I couldn't relate to her more on growing up as a girl in an indian/muslim household. Honestly just in the first 50 pages, I was left speechless.
I couldn't recommend this enough, especially if you're indian. I just left the book with so much anger and helplessness. I grew up in a bubble being a malayali in the gulf. My name or my religion didn't ever define me in either of these places. I didn't even realise how much of a privilege that was. I never understood how my name and the religion i was born into would come before me until I left this bubble. The start was probably hearing my friends say how they would never date a Muslim because they much rather tolerate their parents intolerant views or how my resident card could take time just because my name sounds muslim. You let things like that slide but man this book has got me so enraged. If I could give it 6 stars I would haha
January 26, 2025
This is a beautifully written book about a terrible topic—a pogrom against Muslims in India in 2002. The author writes this memoir about her experience as a 16 year old girl in 2002 when a tragic fire on a train kills 60 Hindu’s causing widespread violence, rape, torture and murder by Hindu people against their Muslim neighbors in India at the direction of Narendra Modi, who was the Chief Minister of the State at the time. He is now the Prime Minister of the country. Zara intersperses the horror of the time with the history of her family, her parent’s troubled marriage and the ultimate lessons she experienced as she found strength in those terrible months. I think everyone should read this book to understand why violence in the name of religion or God is unacceptable and also ask ourselves…WHY do we keep making these same mistakes? Germany, Armenia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Sudan, Somalia, India…it goes on and on.
November 6, 2025
a heartfelt memoir about being a young muslim girl during 2002 gujarat pogroms. the author authentically showcased herself and her family through the genocide, but also the reality of the healing process after. i was expecting this story to go in a more political direction after the first part, but it instead explored more of the personal -- how being muslim both makes her fearful for her safety and provides her with hope for the world. the audio book has great narration by the author herself, so i recommend that version.
June 15, 2025
“On those evenings I wished Amma would just look down to her waist where I stood— tiny and yet carrying the ghosts of her dreams in my arms, feeling her unsettled heart like my own, wishing I could build her a bridge, a way out of the ghetto.”
“What is faith if not memory emanating from the dark shrines of our being, our own bodies, and finding us in moments when we most need it?”
“The teacher, the ally, the fierce mother, the unshakable force who swept up young girls like fallen leaves in a storm and pushed them to pursue life and freedom.”
“We don’t yet know what it means to save each other, but we know something happens when we dance. We feel redeemed.”
I knew little about the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Gujarat Muslims in India before reading this memoir and now I will never forget it. Chowdhary was unapologetic in her writing— a 10 year old girl demanding to be heard. This was heartbreaking and healing to read. I have learned & felt so much from this authors memory, thank you for sharing Zara. Incredible.
“What is faith if not memory emanating from the dark shrines of our being, our own bodies, and finding us in moments when we most need it?”
“The teacher, the ally, the fierce mother, the unshakable force who swept up young girls like fallen leaves in a storm and pushed them to pursue life and freedom.”
“We don’t yet know what it means to save each other, but we know something happens when we dance. We feel redeemed.”
I knew little about the ethnic cleansing and genocide of Gujarat Muslims in India before reading this memoir and now I will never forget it. Chowdhary was unapologetic in her writing— a 10 year old girl demanding to be heard. This was heartbreaking and healing to read. I have learned & felt so much from this authors memory, thank you for sharing Zara. Incredible.
November 19, 2024
When the sun has been extinguished,
when stars fall,
when mountains move,
when pregnant camels are left untended,
when all creation is gathered,
and when the seas overflow, when souls are reunited,
when the female infant buried alive asks for what crime she was killed,
when the books are opened, and the sky is stripped bare,
when Hell is set ablaze and Heaven rolls closer, every soul will know what it did and what it brings.
(Surah At-Takwir, 81:1-14)
when stars fall,
when mountains move,
when pregnant camels are left untended,
when all creation is gathered,
and when the seas overflow, when souls are reunited,
when the female infant buried alive asks for what crime she was killed,
when the books are opened, and the sky is stripped bare,
when Hell is set ablaze and Heaven rolls closer, every soul will know what it did and what it brings.
(Surah At-Takwir, 81:1-14)
May 2, 2025
took me way too long to read. this started as research for my novel but ended up being so much more. poetic and heartbreaking. the heart of what makes india beautiful and redeeming lies in this memoir.
February 20, 2026
1. This book highlighted in more detail just how racist my parents are
2. I wish the story was more linear to make it easier to follow
2. I wish the story was more linear to make it easier to follow
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August 18, 2024Too long. Confusing. Difficult. But I did learn a bit. Will look at Nerinder Modi in a different more critical light.
November 5, 2024
Heartbreaking and captivating.. a book that is very significant in what is going on in the world today. Pain, healing, and enlightenment. I know I’m just writing a bunch of words, but my mind is still processing the journey it just went on. HIGHLY recommend!
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February 15, 2025one of the best memoirs i have ever read. essential reading for anyone looking to understand contemporary india.
zara chowdhary was a teenager when the burning of a train in godhra occurred in 2002, and lived in gujarat when the riots and genocide against its muslim population followed.
chowdhary weaves a horrific account of this violence and rise of hindu nationalism with her personal history and coming-of-age. what results is a beautiful and lyrical memoir exploring themes of violence, religion, culture, misogyny, belonging, history, grief, and anger. it is a love language to india and south asia, but most importantly, to her mother and sister.
this book deeply touched me, as someone in the south asian diaspora, who has long been aware of such tensions and divisions as reflected in the book. for a region and people who have endured so much pain, it would be nice to see a time where we move beyond hatred and bigotry, focusing on embracing our shared history and culture, rather than our differences.
zara chowdhary was a teenager when the burning of a train in godhra occurred in 2002, and lived in gujarat when the riots and genocide against its muslim population followed.
chowdhary weaves a horrific account of this violence and rise of hindu nationalism with her personal history and coming-of-age. what results is a beautiful and lyrical memoir exploring themes of violence, religion, culture, misogyny, belonging, history, grief, and anger. it is a love language to india and south asia, but most importantly, to her mother and sister.
this book deeply touched me, as someone in the south asian diaspora, who has long been aware of such tensions and divisions as reflected in the book. for a region and people who have endured so much pain, it would be nice to see a time where we move beyond hatred and bigotry, focusing on embracing our shared history and culture, rather than our differences.
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