The Lucky Ones by Zara Chowdhary is a fascinating memoir about a Muslim family in Gujarat, India in the early 2000's. The book centers around the catastrophic events following Godhra train burning in 2002. In this incident 59 Hindus were killed. Although the cause of fire remains disputed, a group of Muslims were blamed for this event. Retaliatory riots targeted Muslims across the region, especially in the city Ahmedabad where the author lived. These riots tore Ms. Chowdhary's life apart. Reading her compelling story I gained an appreciation for how difficult life in India has been for Muslim families since the partition of India and Pakistan.

The book used several non-linear timelines which sometimes made the story drag. However, I recommend this book as a really unique and important perspective.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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!

(I am rating this 5 stars because I did in fact liked the story, but at the end I wouldn't be rating the story.)

A stunning recollection of a life lived during a horrific time in India. Muslims were hunted, slaughtered, and set on fire by Hindu gangs wielding weapons. Chowdhary writes with honesty and clarity about the atrocities that occurred during the pogrom. She stopped going to school and the shops. Her extended family hid out for months in their apartment afraid that they would be next to die.

The descriptions of family members and the author's relationships with them are emotional and entertaining reading. She describes how the women sometimes changed their names and wore saris to disguise that they were Muslim. Her tyrannical father had an explosive temper and cussed when he drank too much. She also writes lovingly and tenderly about her younger sister and her mother's strength and resolve to always support her daughters.

Chowdhary writes about growing up in a time and a place of violence and uncertainty. Her writing skips around to different periods in her young life. I found her bits of humor refreshing, giving me a hopeful outlook on Chowdhary's life. I am personally fascinated with India and lived near Delhi for two years. It was also exciting to know and read that Chowdhary lives and works in Madison, WI, where I grew up.