They Called Us Exceptional
Book description
“In this vulnerable and courageous memoir, Prachi Gupta takes the myth of the exceptional Indian American family to task. . . . [Her] resilience and her hope to be fully seen are an inspiration in both personal and political terms.”—The Washington Post
“I read it in one sitting. Wow. It…
Why read it?
3 authors picked They Called Us Exceptional as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Gupta's raw and scintillating memoir highlights the gray areas in immigrant and first-generation lives, the romanticized ideas of success, and the misunderstandings of mental health. I was captivated from beginning to end and impressed by her willingness to be 100% vulnerable in this book - knowing her family and friends would read it. She writes truth in a brave and candid way that I only wish I could do in writing. This is a book that many of us have been waiting for - for my first gen people out there - I felt seen.
When I read this heart-wrenching, poignant memoir about the devastating costs that comes with pushing yourself to live up to others’ expectations, I felt like I was watching part of my life’s story from a bird’s-eye view.
As a daughter of immigrants, I grew up being told that success was conditional on my being exceptional, no matter the cost. But when we tell people that their mental health, community, love, relationships, and compassion come secondary to living up to others’ expectations, it isn’t success at all. A must-read for all, but especially for anyone who has had to contend with…
From Ruchika's list on change your mind about success.
In a weaving of revelatory family secrets and cultural insights, Prachi Gupta helps us to understand not only how our personal lives are truly political, but also how politics are used as a tool to divide us.
In this beautifully crafted part memoir, part theory, part personal chronicle, we are able to see how stereotypes in the U.S. have been created to divide and conquer entire communities of marginalized folks, leaving families in shambles along the way.
A key takeaway I gathered was the anti-Black racism embedded in the model minority myth and the ways in which racism and its…
From Mariel's list on cycle breakers who broke the cycle of trauma.
If you love They Called Us Exceptional...
Tap Dancing on Everest
Tap Dancing on Everest, part coming-of-age memoir, part true-survival adventure story, is about a young medical student, the daughter of a Holocaust survivor raised in N.Y.C., who battles self-doubt to serve as the doctor—and only woman—on a remote Everest climb in Tibet.
The team attempts a new route up…
Want books like They Called Us Exceptional?
Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 94 books like They Called Us Exceptional.
Share your top 3 reads of 2024!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
1,765
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like They Called Us Exceptional, you might also like...
A Long Way from Iowa
This memoir chronicles the lives of three generations of women with a passion for reading, writing, and travel. The story begins in 1992 in an unfinished attic in Brooklyn as the author reads a notebook written by her grandmother nearly 100 years earlier. This sets her on a 30-year search…
The Truth About Unringing Phones
When Lara was four years old, her father moved from Rochester, New York, to Anchorage, Alaska, a distance of over 4,000 miles. She spent her childhood chasing after him, flying a quarter of the way around the world to tug at the hem of his jacket.
Now that he is…
