THIS AMERICAN WOMAN

A One-in-a-Billion Memoir

by Zarna Garg

I first encountered Zarna Garg on Amy Poehler’s podcast, Good Hang, which if you want to spend an hour laughing with some of the funniest people in the world, I highly recommend. Garg was the opening act for Poehler and Tina Fey’s comedy tour, and she appeared on the podcast to promote this memoir. Completely intrigued by both her story and her sense of humor, I decided to make this my next audio book and it was one of the best decisions I made this spring.

Garg’s life story is truly hard to believe and although her humor is interwoven through the book, she overcame many obstacles and traumas to achieve the career and life she  thrives in right now. Born the youngest of four children to affluent, though self-made, parents in Mumbai, she was babied as a child and allowed to read and share her opinions unlike many girls in India. When Garg was 14, her mother died suddenly and her grieving father decided he needed to marry her off so he wouldn’t have to raise her alone. In protest, Garg ran away from home and stayed with friends, acquaintances and even on the street for almost two years. Finally she was desperate enough to agree to the wedding, but was saved by a well-timed U.S. visa approval. Her life took one twist after another including law school, many entrepreneurial failures and raising three children with her husband, whom she met online. I truly never knew what was going to happen next, or how she would ultimately arrive at her successful career in comedy.

This American Woman combines an incredible, true story with a personable, humorous writing style. Garg illuminated for me an upbringing and life story very different from my own. Zarna Garg is open, direct and hilarious and I can’t wait to binge all her comedy specials! (Lily)