“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.

I always feel strange rating an autobiography or memoir. Who am I to judge someone else's life? I can say that I was not familiar with Zarna Garg before reading this book but think that a memoir is right in the wheelhouse of many stand-up comedians since so much material is taken from their truth, perhaps somewhat embellished but still sharing snippets of themselves. This book is, in that sense, a longer snippet of her life, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and generally hopeful. There are common threads that immigrants (regardless of their origin) can relate to, relatable parts of the story for anyone who has switched careers or struggled to find their "thing", relatable anecdotes for those who have complex family dynamics, in short there is something for everyone. Those who enjoy Zarna comedy will likely find this book an interesting read, with same personality shining through (though perhaps a touch less hyperbole) and those who like an eventful bio or memoir will surely find Zarna's story to be an engaging read.
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine Books) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

I hadn't been familiar with Zarna Garg before reading this, but now I've followed her on just about every relevant social media. I suppose you could call me a new fan!

This memoir is witty, heartwarming, funny, and so much more! If you told me that you left this without a newfound sense of respect for this woman who was a complete powerhouse both as a student, a mother, and later a self-made comedian, I'd be very surprised.

This was such a rollercoaster, and I didn't want to put it down. I laughed, I smiled at my Kindle, and yes, okay, maybe I sniffled a little. I'm so glad I chose to pick this up. Thank you to Ballantine Books/Random House Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC, this is my honest review.

I wasn't sure what I was signing up for when I agreed to read and review "This American Woman" for NetGalley. Truthfully, I was not familiar with Zarna Garg or her comedy work.

And now, five days later, I know Zarna's life story. Her story is a good one. There are some sad parts and many happy parts. They combine, like a good stew, to make a tasty autobiography.

If you like humor, biography, and a touch of sadness, let me recommend this book.

My introduction to Zarna was her Prime comedy special, which had me CACKLING, so I had a good feeling her humor would pop through in the book, and it did - but there were also tears.

Coming from a rough child, Zarna learned how to survive on her own quickly. She overcomes struggles, finds love, and eventually we see her discover her space in comedy.

I am a sucker for a good celeb/comic memoir and this one is great. I loved reading about Zarna finding herself and found the story very inspirational!

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, and Zarna Garg, for this ARC of “This American Woman—A One-In-A-Billion Memoir” out April 29th, 2025.

I will admit I was not familiar with Zarna Garg before reading this book. I’ve watched some of her standup since starting it and she’s funny. This was an interesting read about her life and her move from India to the US. I also loved that she included photos with the book. It was well done!

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

Zarna writes beautifully about her life and determination growing up and into adulthood. I loved reading about her quest for her desires. The book is hopeful, and that theme resonates throughout the story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Zarna Garg's story about coming to America and finding her way is an amazing story of taking chances on yourself. While I may not have been familiar with Zarna before reading her memoir, I was so interested in her story coming from India to the United States. She shares her triumphs and tribulations about finding herself and what makes her happy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed Zarna Garg’s memoir. My favorite parts were her relationships with her parents and her siblings. The photographs were perfect for her story. I’ll be searching for her comedy special now.

I had not heard of Zarna Garg before reading her memoir. It is a riveting story of her life in India to becoming an immigrant to the United States and how she succeeds in becoming a successful comedian. Her personality and drive to define her own life came through clearly and, at times, humorously.