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But What Will People Say?

But What Will People Say?

Navigating Mental Health, Identity, Love and Family Between Cultures

Summary

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Growing up in the USA as a child of South-Asian immigrants, Sahaj straddled multiple cultures. While reading self-help and going to therapy helped her make sense of the world and her psyche, she soon realised that the advice of white, western writers didn’t cater to her experience. Unlike the outside world, at home the idea of mental health was feared as a sign of weakness, often met with the question ‘But what will people say?’ And for many like her who are navigating two cultures at once, the traditional advice to just ‘set boundaries’ or ‘put yourself first’ is not possible, or even safe.

Since then, Sahaj has made it her mission to make therapeutic advice accessible and inclusive of the multicultural experience. Combining her personal story with research, insights from her personal and online communities, and practical advice, this book is a much-needed and revolutionary approach that enables multicultural people to show more compassion for themselves, for others and, above all, feel seen.

©2024 Sahaj Kaur Kohli (P) 2024 Penguin Audio

Reviews

  • This touching, refreshing and insightful book is so needed! I congratulate Sahaj for sharing her own journey and struggles with our culture and values, that me and so many will relate to. She provides guidance, compassion and essential change that will heal and transform lives. This is a must-read for any child of immigrants
    Lavina Mehta MBE, author of The Feel Good Fix

About the author

Sahaj Kaur Kohli

Sahaj Kohli is a licensed therapist, a columnist for the advice column ‘Ask Sahaj’ in The Washington Post, and the founder of the Instagram page @browngirltherapy, the first and largest mental health and wellness community organization for children of immigrants. Sahaj has sat on panels and delivered workshops and keynotes at companies including Amazon Inc., Google and Accenture. This is her first book.
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