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Actual published front cover of I Do, in Other Words

Published November 13, 2026 · Paperback

I Do, in Other Words

Migration, Medicine, Money, Mistakes & Meaning

He thought intelligence, hard work and optimism could solve almost anything. Life had other ideas.

Born in India, raised in Britain and educated at Oxford, Sonny Saggar arrived in St. Louis with two suitcases, a stack of books, and an almost comic faith that intelligence, energy and optimism would be enough.

For a while, they were. He built a life in medicine and business, met Jayne in a bookshop, married four days after 9/11, and became a father. Then the plan broke apart. There would be divorce, financial upheaval, prosecution, prison, and the long, strange work of starting again.

Told with wit, candor and unusual warmth, I Do, in Other Words is the story of a man who believed ingenuity and effort could solve almost anything, then discovered the limits of that belief without surrendering humour, affection or hope.

Spanning India, Britain and America, this is a deeply human memoir about ambition, family, identity, punishment, meaning and comeback.

Is this the kind of memoir you enjoy?

If you enjoy memoirs that travel across cultures and generations, this one moves from a British Indian childhood to a working life in American emergency medicine, business, marriage and fatherhood. It also addresses prosecution, prison and beginning again.

It is a personal story rather than a medical textbook or legal guide. There is room for humour, affection and uncertainty.

Explore related reading

The Road approaches criminal charges from the practical side; GROUND considers what remains after a life changes. I Do, in Other Words tells the lived story.

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Try the book before you buy it

Start with the complete, unaltered prologue, a family wedding in St. Louis four days after September 11.

Read the free prologue · Meet the story · Media information