BOOK OF THE MONTH
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir
#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).
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Readers say *Crying in H Mart* is a heartfelt memoir exploring Michelle Zauner’s complex relationships, cultural identity, and grief. Reviewers agree ...
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Crying in the H Mart by Michelle Zauner
239 pages
What’s it about?
The old adage that "complicated relationships bring complicated grief" is demonstrated in this memoir. Michelle is only in her mid-twenties when she realizes that her mother is seriously ill. She is just beginning to come to terms with her immigrant mother and their complicated love when she finds herself having to say goodbye. Mother and daughter relationships are always complicated but this memoir shows us the added burden of being from distinctly different cultures.
What did it make me think about?
Mothers and daughters and food!
Should I read it?
If you are a fan of memoirs then pick this book up. I learned of Michelle Zauner through her music, but she is a talented writer as well. This is a clear, candid look at growing up biracial in America. Her mother's use of food to show love and care plays a central role in this slim book and I found these references especially illuminating. "I wonder how many people at H Mart miss their families . How many are thinking of them as they being their trays back from the different stalls. If they're eating to feel connected, to celebrate these people through food. Which ones weren't able to fly back home this year, or for the past ten years? Which ones are like me, missing the people who are gone from their lives forever?"
Quote-
"It was difficult to write about someone I felt I knew so well. The words were unwieldy, enforced with pretensions. I wanted to uncover something special about her that only I could reveal. That she was so much more than a housewife, than a mother. That she was her own spectacular individual. Perhaps I was still sanctimoniously belittling the two roles she was ultimately most proud of, unable to accept that the same degree of fulfillment may await those who wish to nurture and love as those who seek to earn and create."
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Crying in the H Mart by Michelle Zauner
239 pages
What’s it about?
The old adage that "complicated relationships bring complicated grief" is demonstrated in this memoir. Michelle is only in her mid-twenties when she realizes that her mother is seriously ill. She is just beginning to come to terms with her immigrant mother and their complicated love when she finds herself having to say goodbye. Mother and daughter relationships are always complicated but this memoir shows us the added burden of being from distinctly different cultures.
What did it make me think about?
Mothers and daughters and food!
Should I read it?
If you are a fan of memoirs then pick this book up. I learned of Michelle Zauner through her music, but she is a talented writer as well. This is a clear, candid look at growing up biracial in America. Her mother's use of food to show love and care plays a central role in this slim book and I found these references especially illuminating. "I wonder how many people at H Mart miss their families . How many are thinking of them as they being their trays back from the different stalls. If they're eating to feel connected, to celebrate these people through food. Which ones weren't able to fly back home this year, or for the past ten years? Which ones are like me, missing the people who are gone from their lives forever?"
Quote-
"It was difficult to write about someone I felt I knew so well. The words were unwieldy, enforced with pretensions. I wanted to uncover something special about her that only I could reveal. That she was so much more than a housewife, than a mother. That she was her own spectacular individual. Perhaps I was still sanctimoniously belittling the two roles she was ultimately most proud of, unable to accept that the same degree of fulfillment may await those who wish to nurture and love as those who seek to earn and create."
If you liked this try-
Forty Autumns by Nina Willner
H is For Hawk by Helen Macdonald
My Brother Moochie by Issac J. Bailey
Such an amazing story of a daughter and mother’s relationship. Although sad, this was beautifully written.
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