Mariyam Siddiqui is a 23-year-old writer from Saharanpur,
India, whose first book, What I Lost, What I Found, is a deeply
personal reflection on loss, detachment, relationships, self
discovery, and the quiet process of finding oneself again.
Writing was never something Mariyam began with the intention of
becoming an author. This book began with feelings that were
difficult to explain and thoughts that had nowhere else to go. What
started as a way of putting those thoughts into words slowly became
something much bigger—a collection of experiences, emotions,
questions, and realizations that eventually found their way onto
these pages.
She believes that sometimes we write not because we have all the
answers, but because we are still trying to understand the questions.
What I Lost, What I Found is her first attempt at turning that
process into a story. It is not a book written from the perspective of
someone who has figured everything out, but from someone who
has experienced, questioned, lost, learned, and continued moving
forward.
Through her writing, Mariyam hopes to reach people who have
struggled to put their own feelings into words—to remind them that
their emotions are valid, that their stories matter, and that
sometimes clarity comes only after we allow ourselves to sit with
what we have been through.
Outside of writing, Mariyam has built her professional journey in
data science, analytics, and business intelligence, with
experience working internationally and collaborating with teams
across different countries. But beyond the numbers, dashboards,
and data, writing has given her a different way of understanding
people—including herself.
This is her first book.
And perhaps the most honest reason she wrote it is simple:
Some things are too deeply felt to remain unwritten.
What I Lost, What I Found is where she chose to put them.