The Lucky Ones: A Memoir

by Zara Chowdhary

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.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, India, Biography, Audiobook, Religion, Biography Memoir

295 pages, Hardcover

First published July 16, 2024

Reviews

[Sanjida · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[ameya · Rating 5 out of 5]

can think of quite a few ppl who would benefit from reading this

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[فاروق · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[hazal deniz]

This 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.

[Sadiq Kazi · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Ross Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Moranda Bromberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Caty Ordonez | Catysreads07 · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Laila · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Satwik · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Erin Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting insight into the Muslim-Hindu conflict in India. However, don’t recommend reading two memoirs in a row.

[Anjie · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Shabnam Vaughn · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Suresh Nair · Rating 4 out of 5]

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, 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.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Archishman Keshan · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[amita the cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Deyana Tabatabaei · Rating 5 out of 5]

“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.

[Zoya S · Rating 5 out of 5]

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)

[Veda · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Patsey]

Too long. Confusing. Difficult. But I did learn a bit. Will look at Nerinder Modi in a different more critical light.

[Anjali · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone else wrote “Brilliant, sorrowful, defiant” and I fully agree.

[Katie Carlson · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[alisha]

one 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.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zara Chowdhary has crafted a searing account of religious violence and its consequences. In 2002, two train carriages were set on fire in a depot in Godhra, India, killing at least fifty-eight people, many of whom were religious workers, traveling back from Ayodhya, a sacred city for Hindus. Chowdhary explains that “The head of the state, the chief minister, calls the burning an ‘act of terrorism,’ code since 9/11 for something the Muslims must have done.” Within weeks, more than 2,000 Muslims were murdered in response by Hindu mobs.

Chowdhary describes how Hindu mobs numbering in the thousands poured into her town of Gujarat, looting, raping, and burning alive the state’s Muslim citizens. The massacre continued for three months. She likens it to how the United States kicked off a global “war” against terror after 9/11, stating, the “Americans have redefined how a strong, powerful nation deals with those who try to terrorize it.” “Americans make war and decimating an enemy look cool.”

Chowdhary recites horrific tales of victims of what she characterizes as a pogrom or an ethnic cleansing with the complicity of the state and the ruling political establishment. She recounts the atrocities committed by one of the mob members whose wife would, a decade later, defend him in court claiming, “He couldn’t have raped or brutalized women because he was married to me, a Muslim.” She explains the genesis of the word “ghetto,” and then details how her community, and the Jasmine Apartment where she lived, became a ghetto. Curfews were enforced, schools were closed and tests and exams postponed indefinitely. There was a mass migration of Muslim citizens away from their homes and into refugee camps. By the end of the year, more than 50,000 Muslims became refugees in their own country.

The Chowdharys Hindu neighbors were not always the enemy. Just months before the massacre, the Chowdhary family lived for weeks with their Hindu friends across the river when structural engineers were testing the integrity of their apartment after an earthquake killed 50,000 Gujarati. The Chowdhary family spent months every other summer with the Hindu Reddys, friends of Chowdhary’s father’s when they all were in the same graduate program in California. Chowdhary, whose alcoholic father, Papa, terrorized his wife and two daughters, learned from the Reddys “how daughters deserved to be spoken to” and that “our mother was loved, even admired. . . .”

Chowdhary’s reflections on Papa help put the anti-Islamic violence that gripped the country in context. Papa’s family was educated and upper class, affording their son a graduate school education in America. Their privilege opened a door for him at the state-run Gujarat Electricity Board when he returned to India. But, he faced constant humiliation with a brazenly anti-Muslim government in place leading to an early retirement at forty-eight years of age (he would die of cancer in four years). Chowdhary explains that Papa’s job was a 20 year purgatory at the end of which he emerged alcoholic, bitter, but incorruptible.

Chowdhary has crafted an elegant and moving memoir about the largest massacre in independent India. She traces the political, economic, and social repercussions of decades of bloodshed. But what is particularly noteworthy about this memoir is her keen teenage observations of how years of anti-Muslim violence in India impacted her fractured family. Thank you Crown and Net Galley for an advance copy of this remarkable memoir.

[PAOLA Alessandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spellbinding and beautifully written memoir

This is more than a memoir, it also speaks of painful historic events experienced by the author. It is a very personal story of a young Muslim girl growing up in a patriarchal family and living through the pogrom of Muslims in Gujarat orchestrated by the man and his political party who now govern India. It is a story about growing up in a country where you increasingly feel that as a Muslim you don’t belong. It is about the bond between a mother and her daughters and the struggle to feel loved in a family where women are not prized. It is an amazing, beautiful and reverting book.

[Ezaz Ahmad · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written memoir flooded with the essence and warmth of every Indian Muslim family I have known. In addition to the horrific 2002 Gujrat riots, its aftermath and its impact on the lives of Zara’s and millions of other Muslim families in Gujrat or across Indian, this book also beautifully ventures into the history of the land that Zara calls home. The memoir perfectly describes what it means and feels like to be an Indian, a Muslim and an Indian-Muslim. A must read.