Crying in H Mart - Michelle Zauner

Crying in H Mart

By Michelle Zauner

  • Release Date: 2021-04-20
  • Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 1,024 Ratings

Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the indie rock sensation known as Japanese Breakfast, an unforgettable memoir about family, food, grief, love, and growing up Korean American—“in losing her mother and cooking to bring her back to life, Zauner became herself” (NPR). • CELEBRATING OVER ONE YEAR ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST

In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up one of the few Asian American kids at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food.

As she grew up, moving to the East Coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, and performing gigs with her fledgling band--and meeting the man who would become her husband--her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live. It was her mother's diagnosis of terminal cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.

Vivacious and plainspoken, lyrical and honest, Zauner's voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, and complete with family photos, Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish, share, and reread.

Reviews

  • Not a fan.

    1
    By Finicky Fiona
    What a whiny, self-involved person.
  • Had me crying every page

    5
    By mckinleyrach
    Honestly this book was soooo good. Jumpscare tho because you will literally cry every page.
  • Boring

    1
    By Angi386
    85% of the book is talking about food! So boring!
  • Food, memories, family & loss

    5
    By Danithegirl04
    What a magical journey through the life of Michelle. Much like her music, she takes you on an exploration of rich feelings, tear streaked moments & stomach rumbling memories. Such a beautiful book about love, family, heartache and grief. But also of how to keep the memories of your loved one alive within you with traditions that span generations.
  • What an amazing story!

    5
    By Kwon S.
    This book makes me think a lot about my families, friends and those who I have known for many years. Especially for my parents who are getting older and weaker, I wonder what good memories I will remember when I need those sometime later. It was much fun to read so may Korean words and phrases in a single book(never seen before!), and I felt both warm and painful feelings like the author had toward her mom, dad, aunts and cousins. I was a little moved by how much love she had and returned to her families in many ways.
  • Read it

    4
    By SuzieAmy
    I loved this book. I laughed and I cried.
  • Personal

    5
    By Getting coins from this review
    This book was extremely sentimental and worth the read. I related to so many of the concepts and each memory was delivered so beautifully.
  • Addicting, sad and mouth watering

    5
    By Nita Blum
    I enjoyed every moment of this book, I couldn’t put it down. It made me cry but most of all eat Korean food everyday I read it. The author has a way with painting beautiful pictures that make me feel I’m emerged in another country, tradition and world without even leaving my home.
  • Beautiful memoir

    4
    By livvyoe
    First memoir I have ever read and I could not have been happier. This is a lovely book detailed perfectly to help you really imagine the story. Highly recommend this read but eat before because you will be hungry!
  • A Beautiful Story

    5
    By MeCooter
    I stumbled across Japanese Breakfast a few weeks ago and then this book. I’ve read few books that captured me from the very beginning and wouldn’t let go until the end. This is a beautiful story wonderfully written. This book has a soul.