~ Hardcover

~ New Release - 2023

The Called Us Exceptional: and Other Lies that Raised Us

An Indian American daughter reveals how the dangerous model minority myth fractured her family in this searing, brave memoir.

Tragically, the act that liberated Gupta was also the act that distanced her from those she loved most, They Called Us Exceptional charts her family’s slow unraveling and her determination to break the cycle, showing readers how traditional notions of success keep us disconnected from ourselves and one another, and passionately arguing why we must orient ourselves toward compassion over belonging.

"They Called Us Exceptional aims right at the tender spot where racism, sexism, and family dynamics collide, and somehow manages to be both searingly honest and deeply compassionate.” -- Celeste Ng, bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere, Everything I Never Told You, and Our Missing Hearts