The Many Lives of Syeda X: Praise for the Book
‘One might imagine that it doesn’t get harder than being poor and uneducated, a Muslim and a woman in today’s India. This unique biography of a brave and tenacious woman worker in the unorganized sector shows how the state, through its fitful acts of heavy-handed regulation, makes it much worse. She tries many things and masters them, but just when it looks like her economic life has turned a corner, the state steps in to fix some problem that it should not have permitted to arise in the first place, and her job and hope are gone. An important and eye-opening work.’ – Abhijit V. Banerjee
‘This remarkable book blends fine-grained reportage with moving evocations of time and place. Through the struggles of a single family Neha Dixit deftly traces the tumultuous and conflict-ridden history of our country over the past three decades. The focus always remains on Syeda, her husband and her children, yet through their lives we come to acquire a deeper understanding of religious majoritarianism, the darker side of India’s much trumpeted ‘growth story’, and the corruption and criminalization of the state. This is a deeply impressive debut by a gifted and extremely courageous writer.’ – Ramachandra Guha
‘This is the heart-wrenching reality of modern India, the unvarnished truth through the eyes of a melancholic woman and the people around her.They are the nameless poor whose monotonous existence is both a blessing and an irritant for us. Syeda’s life is a mirror held to us. She is Mother India, wailing for a healing touch and some compassion. Neha Dixit has found an unusual protagonist to tell us the unvarnished, ugly truth about us.’ – Josy Joseph
‘Neha Dixit is a resolute, courageous and empathetic writer. In this powerful and bracing book, she puts the spotlight on one ordinary Indian. In a spare but effective, matter-of-fact style that lets the story speak for itself, she rescues the lives of ordinary Indians from invisibility. But she also rescues them from time-worn tropes of condescension, pity and resilience, and restores dignity to their agency. The story of this life, grappling with the weight of fate and society will leave you defenceless and gutted.’ – Pratap Bhanu Mehta
‘Neha Dixit is a fiercely ethical and committed journalist and a writer of integrity and passion. She brings all these qualities to this searing story about an anonymous woman whose life over three decades she has traced, through cataclysmic events in the history of India that is also the history of this working-class Muslim woman’s life.’ – Nivedita Menon
‘A vivid and memorable account of how post-economic reform in India works. It is a trenchant and invaluable people’s history of the bottom of the pyramid in the world’s most populous nation.’ – John Reed, Financial Times
‘Remarkable … devastating … never patronising … It is precisely for this quietness, this matter-of-factness, this simplicity and truthfulness that this book must be read. It offers those of us who live with privilege, a mirror to the casual cruelty and indifference towards those less privileged, that informs our lives.’ – Urvashi Butalia, The Wire
‘Over the course of the book, the bold sentences become more politically focused, lending a haunting rhythm to Dixit’s account of a growing and changing economy that is constantly edging closer to fascism … one feels … as if one is reading a novel – a testament to Dixit’s narrative skill and her ability to bring the stories from her interviews to life.’ – Ananya Wilson Bhattacharya, Jacobin
‘An eye-opening work of extreme courage … Dixit’s achievement [is] immense … one of a kind in Indian non-fiction … there will likely not be a better book of gritty Indian reportage for years to come.’ – Rahul Jacob, Mint
‘Nine years and nine hundred people … That’s what it took … Neha Dixit to write her stunning … book.’ – Priya Ramani, NDTV Profit
‘Dixit’s conceptual clarity is remarkable and her prose lucid, and she writes with deep empathy for the people. She constructs a virtual social history, or history from below, reminiscent of the flavours one gets while reading the works of old British Marxist historians like E.P. Thompson or Eric Hobsbawm.’-Umar Khalid, The Wire
‘Ms Dixit’s book shines a spotlight on the invisible lives of India’s neglected female home-based workers’- Soutik Biswas, BBC
‘Neha Dixit’s first book is everything one would expect from her: an excellent piece of reportage.’ – Sheila Kumar, Deccan Herald
‘Extraordinary … keeps the readers enthralled … On finishing this unputdownable book, you would agree as well that the accolade coming Dixit’s way is all too deserving.’ – Ruben Banerjee, Federal
‘[Dixit] writes this book with the precision of a historian, mind of an economist and the commentary of a political scientist … exceptional.’ – Hajara Najeeb, Feminism in India
Uniquely authentic and eye-opening … It is marked by an honesty and sincerity of purpose that is unmissable. The style is engaging and rooted in empathy.’ – Zakia Soman, Frontline
‘An important book that looks at the intersection of class, religion and gender with empathy and a keen eye for research and detail.’ – Saudamini Jain, Hindustan Times
‘A testament to what fine journalism promises to be … Every once in a while, one stumbles upon a book that fundamentally reorients how one perceives and engages with the world … Neha Dixit’s … is one such work.’ – Priavi Joshi, Scroll.in
‘By blending investigative reporting with engaging storytelling, Dixit is able to create a compelling piece of art … takes us on a rollercoaster ride of emotions.’ – Writingwomen.co
‘Neha Dixit masterfully weaves together personal and political narratives, illustrating how economic and communal violence intersect … An essential book.’ – Countercurrents
Mint Lounge, Oct 6, 2024
The Many Lives of Syeda X — life at the bottom of Delhi’s pyramid Neha Dixit’s vivid chronicle of an urban migrant’s struggle to survive plays out against the backdrop of modern India
Written after almost a decade of reporting, Neha Dixit’s ‘The Many Lives of Syeda X’ is an eye-opening work of extreme courage
Rahul Jacob
Financial Times, Sep 27, 2024
The Many Lives of Syeda X — life at the bottom of Delhi’s pyramid
Neha Dixit’s vivid chronicle of an urban migrant’s struggle to survive plays out against the backdrop of modern India
John Reed
BBC, Aug 1, 2024
50 jobs, 30 years: The unseen labour of an Indian female worker
Ms Dixit’s book shines a spotlight on the invisible lives of India’s neglected female home-based workers.
Soutik Biswas
Scroll.in, Sep 8, 2024
‘The Many Lives of Syeda X’: The story of an everywoman whose constant battles build our economy
The book is a testament to what fine journalism promises to be – rich, complex, empowering the forgotten, and capable of capturing the zeitgeist.
Priavi Joshi
NDTV Profit, Aug 11, 2024
The Invisible India Book Everyone Must Read
Modi’s India is a key protagonist alongside titular character Syeda, who has held 50 jobs in 30 years, in Neha Dixit’s new book
Priya Ramani
The Federal, Aug 11, 2024
The Many Lives of Syeda X review: Powerful portrait of India’s hapless migrants, helpless poor
Neha Dixit’s book tells the extraordinary story of ordinary people — the invisibles. Through the lens of a single family’s story, it exposes the harsh realities that define the lives of millions on the margins
Ruben Banerjee
Frontline, Sep 29, 2024
Bollywood’s shallow realism
Hindi cinema’s current embrace of realism isn’t inclusive. It shows the same power structures as before, just dressed up as middle-class stories.
Prathyush Parasuraman
Wire Hindi, Sep 21, 2024
मांगती है सईदा पिछले तीस बरसों का हिसाब
पुस्तक समीक्षा: आज की मूलतः पुरुष केंद्रित पत्रकारिता के बीच पत्रकार नेहा दीक्षित अपनी किताब ‘द मैनी लाइव्स ऑफ सईदा एक्स’ में एक मुस्लिम महिला और असंगठित मज़दूर की कहानी कहने का जोखिम उठाती हैं.
अमिता शीरीं
The New Indian Express, Sep 20, 2024
Extraction at Point Zero
A play and a book highlight that the labour and the bodies of women are the sites where the empire of capitalism is built
Prachi Satrawal
Youth Ki Awaaz, Sep 9, 2024
‘The Many Lives of Syeda X’ Exposes The Exploitation Of Female Migrant Laborers
The Many Lives of Syeda X” is reporting at it’s finest- the author tells the story with empathy, but without losing the ability to be critical of the person she is writing about.
Natasha Ramarathnam
The Aidem, Sep 16, 2024
‘The Many Lives of Syeda X’ is an emphatic statement of empathy to Syeda and her ilk and a salutation for her resolve
It is a book that should not be missed, for it gives an opportunity to understand and identify with the lives of the poor and the marginalised in our country.
Gaurav Tiwari