Do You Know How Lucky You Are?

Do You Know How Lucky You Are? is a haunting and emotionally resonant debut by writer and professor Rani Neutill, exploring the tangled threads of a mother-daughter relationship steeped in pain, rage, and historical trauma. When Rani receives news that her estranged mother is ailing and must be brought back from India, she is forced to confront a past marked by hostility, neglect, and terrifying cruelty. To make this choice, she must delve into the origins of her mother’s wrath—tracing it through generations of familial frenzy and possibly even to the colonial ideologies that have stifled feminist reconciliation. The memoir lays bare the complexities of love and violence, revealing how deeply personal wounds are often shaped by broader historical currents. Rani Neutill, a recipient of the 2022 Artist Fellowship from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, has taught ethnic American and postcolonial literature at prestigious institutions including Harvard, Yale, and Johns Hopkins. She currently teaches writing and Asian American literature at Emerson College and Tufts University. Her work has appeared in major publications such as The New York Times Book Review, Al Jazeera English, CNN, and The Washington Post, and she lives in Cambridge, MA with her partner.