I absolutely loved this book! Zarna tells her inspiring story with the perfect amount of humor. I really enjoyed her writing style, and I loved that she included photos! This is one of the best memoirs I’ve read. I can’t wait to start listening to her podcast, too. Huge thanks to Random House-Ballantine for reaching out with approval for the ARC from NetGalley. I’m so happy I got acquainted with Zarna, and I look forward to what she’ll do next!

I loved this book. The flow of the life story was amazing. The most powerful thing for me was that she just kept trying. She tried selling toothbrushes, she tried to become a paralegal. She tried and she kept trying.

I have to admit that I had NEVER heard of Zarna and I was just reading it because I wanted to know how a homeless child in Mumbai overcame that and made it to America. NOW, I want to see one of her stand ups.

And her lifestory is AMAZING! My favorite story is the one with her dating her now husband. She went against convention and married for love (shocked gasp! LOL)

The author is an up and coming wonder woman and everyone would benefit to read this book.

She has a never say dreams are dead!

This book will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you grab a brand new notebook to jot down all of Zarna’s wisdom. I expected a funny memoir, to be sure. I did not expect to leave feeling immensely patriotic to my homeland and the land of my heritage, to have a better handle on the mother and the daughter I want to be, and to feel ready to take on the world.

This is one of my top books of the year, and now one of my favorite books ever.

This was such an entertaining book. Zarna is truly funny and tells her story, which is sometimes tragic, in a way that is engaging and inspiring. She uses humor to make light of her difficulties growing up in India with a father who ignores her and a mom she lost early. But her success is due to her grittiness and attitude of never giving up. She’s become well known for stories and insights on growing up Indian. If you’re unfamiliar with the culture, you’ll learn a lot and laugh along the way.

I was so excited to read this book and it didn’t disappoint !! I have loved Zarna Garg ever since the first time I watched her hilarious videos on instagram. Reading her story made me love her all the more. She is a perfect example of the “American Dream”. Her success was hard won and achieved through hard work and determination. She overcame much personal heartache on her journey from India to the USA. The book covers her childhood all the way through current times.
Even if you’ve never seen her comedy routine I would recommend reading this autobiography. She is a great example for girls and older women too. It is never too late to achieve your dreams if you continue to strive and believe in yourself.

I could use all the best adjectives in the English language to describe this book by Zarna! But I will choose one - deeply inspiring.

Every single quote that adorned the beginning of each chapter, should be on a frame on a wall.

I started this book expecting Zarna’s life story weaved with her style of humor… I got that plus more… it’s a story of confidence, grit, resilience, finding your passion and purpose and making things happen!

This book and Zarna’s story has left a deep imprint in my heart, and will fuel the confidence I needed to keep moving forward in my own journey of life! Thank you, Zarna, for sharing your story and inspiring so many of us! More power to you!

The algorithms first introduced me to Zarna from her hour long special. Her memoir goes deep into her childhood and how she made it to the US. After that, the more it went on, the less details we got, so it went fast through her having three kids and being a stay at home mom for many many years (which I think was prolly okay to skip over). Where I really wished it had taken its time was everything about her first steps into stand up and open mics. I was waiting for the book to get there so I think I expected more details, just as much or more as her childhood chapters. I had a lot of fun and really appreciate this comic. Her late rise to fame is really inspiring and I am excited for her next hour long special.

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This American Woman is a laugh-out-loud, inspiring memoir that proves it's never too late to chase your dreams. Zarna Garg's journey from escaping an arranged marriage in India to thriving as a stand-up comedian in America is nothing short of extraordinary. With wit, heart, and unfiltered honesty, she shares her struggles and triumphs, making you root for her every step of the way. Her humor is razor-sharp. her storytelling captivating, and her resilience unmatched. A must-read for
anyone who loves comedy, empowerment, and a great immigrant success story. Zarna's voice is unforgettable!

I cannot remember the last time I read a book as quickly as this one. I watched Zarna perform in San Jose last year and would never have imagined the hardships that brought her so far. She is such an inspiration to us desi girls. My only suggestion is to remove the Hitler reference early in the book, that was weird.

“This American Woman” is by comedian Zarna Garg. If like me, you have no idea who this woman is - it’s okay. Pick up the book and you’ll find out who she is. Ms. Garg’s writing is engaging and funny, filled with some Indian culture things I hadn’t thought about (at the age of eight she couldn’t get into American children’s books because no one died - once she said it, I thought “huh, she’s not wrong … yeah”). Comedy is never easy - one doesn’t just spew out joke after joke - and that an “Indian Auntie” (her description) can make it in the comedy world is amazing to me. Ms. Garg had a difficult childhood - thank goodness for her siblings providing love and safety - but she also had determination and a rather interesting view of being on her own at a young age. I greatly enjoyed reading times when she was blazing new trails for herself, but can also understand why others were shaking their heads at her actions. I finished this book in one day - it was that enjoyable a read. Strong recommend - again, even if you have no idea who she is, this book was engaging, funny, sad, and at it’s heart all Zarna Garg.

I so enjoyed This American Woman. I had not heard of Zarna, now I feel like we are on a first name basis. This is not Indian humor, this is universal humor with an insight into cultural differences. What a an amazing life story of a truly remarkable woman. Even in the midst of rejection and despair you had to laugh at Zarna and her persistence. I will be looking up her comedy routines and recommending this book to anyone who wants to read an inspiring, entertaining memoir.
I so enjoy a book with photographs and the photos included in this book really added to the connection I made with the author. She is a trip!
Thank you to Amy Jackson at Random House and Netgalley for providing me this advance read. It was a joy!

I am not exaggerating at all when I say this is one of the best memoirs that I have ever read.

I was not very familiar with Zarna Garg when I began reading this book but after reading just a few chapters, I was completely hooked. Garg's story is complicated - as most lives are, however, the twists and turns of her adolescent years are heartbreaking. However, her determination and eventually dedication to figuring out her place in the world are inspiring.

She paints such a vivid picture of her upbringing in India and I learned so much about her culture. She does not sugar-coat the difficult parts of her story whether it was a tumultuous relationship with her father or navigating parenthood.

Her ascent into a successful comedy career is laudable, but most impressive is how she persisted toward living the life that she desired even when those around her discouraged her or actually tried to stop her.

This is a very inspirational (and funny) book and I would recommend it to all. I am definitely going to find her comedy special to get caught up on that part of her story.

This story has all the components of a Bollywood movie. The tears, the fears, the dysfunction, the romance and more. But that's not where it's genius lies. It's true worth rests in the vulnerability, the guidance, and the grit of its storyteller. Zarna highlights our universal desires of belonging, of merging multiple identities and seemingly competing life goals. The memoir raced along but stopped me in my tracks in the last few pages. As I'm about to return to India to face my own void, I found support and hope from someone so different from me.
As a psychologist and coach, I know the value of being seen. I offer that to my clients every day. Now it's time to receive it. Thank you for the encouragement and the validation.

Thank you to Zarna Garg, Random House Publishing: Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the arc of This American Woman, out April 29, 2025!

📜Quick Summary: Zarna grew up in India, in a family that was not rich, rich, but rich enough to have the basic needs and gardner great marriage picks. The thought of an arranged marriage troubled her, and eventually she did run away. Then, when she was told who she would be married off to, took off for America to not only be free, but to find herself. People always called her “American,” so why not actually make it come true. In this memoir, you will hear not only of her journey to find her own, but how she became a lawyer, stay at home mom, and comedian. Her memoir depicts a life of devoting time to finding yourself, and may give us the hope we need to follow our dreams.

❣️Initial Feels: I love her style of writing and I feel for that little fourteen year old girl. She suffered so much and being alone, gosh, I can’t imagine. She equals out the sadness with lots of laughs, and I love the images throughout the book!

👀Trigger Warnings: death of parent

📖Read if you want: a journey to finding yourself, memoir, laughs,

🌶️Spice Level: not what this book is about but she does tell the reader when she “does it”

🗨️Touching Words: “Burn that bridge if it leads to hell.”

💡Final Sentiments: It is so hard to rate memoirs, because how do you “judge” a person’s life? But, this memoir was well executed and made me want to keep reading. I was cheering right along Sunita, her sister, for Zarna to find the life she was destined to have. She made you laugh, maybe made you cry, and always showed up for herself. Her whole journey is relatable (even if you didn’t run away at 14 and were living on your own for 1.5 years) because her experience as a mom is something so many can relate to. Have a job? Stay at home? Do too much of one and be miserable? This book flew by and was the perfect read on a rainy day!

🌟Overall Rating: 4.5 stars

This novel was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

i LOVE zarna and her comedy style so i was hyped to read this memoir and it turns out to be pretty funny and pretty interesting. 5 stars. tysm for thea rc.

This American Woman by Zarna Garg is written with grace and humor. This memoir takes you on a journey. From her childhood and adolescence in Mumbai to running away from home as a teen to coming to America to chase her dreams—it is nonstop laughs. Even the harder topics were handled in a manner that was funny, while being respectfully irreverent. I liked Zarna a lot before. I love her now!
Thank you to Random House-Ballantine and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars

When I was invited to read this book, I almost declined it. Who the heck is Zarna Garg.. and I realize, but I haven’t watched some of her TikTok videos. What the heck? I gave it a try..

I’m so glad I did! Zarna’s story is both hilarious and heartbreaking. From a childhood in India, where she didn’t quite fit in to a lucky chance to come to America, where she still didn’t quite fit in.. It wasn’t until she started doing stand-up comedy that she found her place.

This is the best kind of book! The kind where you laugh in places and cry in others! I’ll definitely start following Zana on her social media and look forward to seeing how her story continues!

Thank you you to Random House Ballantine and NetGalley for the digital arc in return for an honest review.

Some of the best stories are not made up; they’re real.

Zarna Garg likes to talk. We’ve all known people like her – people who are confident saying exactly what’s on their mind. However, it didn’t always go well for Zarna.

In this memoir, she said her father didn’t care when she left at 15 years old after her mother died in her hometown of India. He was, in fact, anxious to find her a husband so he could be free of being a parent. Zarna refused to be locked into a loveless arranged marriage which took courage. She left and scrambled to find a place to stay with her friends.

A few years later she was in route from Mumbai to Akron, Ohio. Zarna went from living in an enormously crowded home to a quiet large house that was owned by her sister and brother-in-law. This new life in America came with all the modern amenities. And yet, she felt lonely without storms of people everywhere. Of course, after some time she ended up in NYC with her husband and children.

Zarna had the ability of turning all sorts of uncomfortable issues into humor – a clever way of getting our attention. There are pieces of her life that were inspiring like the time she volunteered as a docent for the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Through-out the book, there was a nice addition of family photos. She discovered in her 40s a new profession with her gift of gab. It makes you want to see one of her stand-up comedy shows.

My thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of April 29, 2025.

I have never heard of Zarna, but after reading her memoir, I want to devour all of her specials. Her way of writing her story was captivating. You don't realize she's a comedienne from the beginning. Of course, you know from her bio, but the book isn't a funny book. It's just her story. Loved it and looking forward to following her everywhere I can.

I received a free DRC of this book through Netgalley. I hate to say that I'd never heard of Zarna Garg before reading this book, but I need to go watch all of her shows now because this is the first book that has made me lol lately. I also teared up a few times at horrible events in her life, but she has overcome so much. The book flowed well and it was hard to put down.