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 …
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.
Warta uwagi. Pierwsze 30% - moim zdaniem autorka chce szybko i jak najlepiej przedstawić nam swoje życie, aż do choroby jej mamy, ale niestety wdaje się w za wiele dygresji, szczegółów i nazwisk. Reszta książki - piękne i szczerze opisanie więzi, uczuć, tego co w środku w człowieku. Michelle niczego nie koloryzuje i tak jest najpiękniej, najlepiej. W książce widać, że to prawdziwi ludzie i ich prawdziwe życia, a nie wydmuszki. Bardzo rezonuje ze mną ta książka.
This book really grew on me, the tone was honest and direct, it felt real, very personal and as if the author had put it down in one flow, effortless, which I'm sure it wasn't. Even though I knew her from the music she makes with her band Japanese Breakfast and it partly covers the starting out part of her career, it never becomes an artists bio, but you do get another perspective on some of her music..
Zauner reflects on her childhood and relationship with her mother through the lens of her mothers' death.
This is far from my favorite book, however, I think it's worth a read considering that Zauner handles tough subject matter with care, and touches on family, belonging, and identity as a multiracial person in America. It's great writing.
I come to this book from a unique perspective, being that my wife is Korean and we have 2 children (boy 15, girl 12) and while my wife has had some health issues in recent years, thankfully she is still with us. So while I can't exactly empathise with everything Michelle has gone through, I can certainly relate to a lot of it.
The long and short of it that this is a very personal story, I've seen other reviews noting that it feels almost too personal, but I imagine it was a cathartic exercise for her to write this and I applaud her for it.
Not the longest book, I finished it within about 5 days, and felt connected to the story right from the beginning having had similar experiences of Korean culture, firstly through my wife and then vicariously through the children. …
This is my first written review.
I come to this book from a unique perspective, being that my wife is Korean and we have 2 children (boy 15, girl 12) and while my wife has had some health issues in recent years, thankfully she is still with us. So while I can't exactly empathise with everything Michelle has gone through, I can certainly relate to a lot of it.
The long and short of it that this is a very personal story, I've seen other reviews noting that it feels almost too personal, but I imagine it was a cathartic exercise for her to write this and I applaud her for it.
Not the longest book, I finished it within about 5 days, and felt connected to the story right from the beginning having had similar experiences of Korean culture, firstly through my wife and then vicariously through the children. Though we aren't based in Korea, I have visit 5-6 times over the last 20 years we've been married to visit her family that are still there, so can easily recall similar scenarios that play out in the story.
I think it's an excellent book and very easy to read, moreso if you have something to relate to it. I've now recommended that the rest of the family read it, starting with my wife, as I'm hugely curious what they will get out of it. I'm also hoping ours kids take some lessons from it, namely appreciating the sacrifices of their mother, and putting the effort in now to learn 한국어. We also tried when they were younger, but esp. now as teenagers it seems like such a pain in the butt to do, but will be so worth it when they are older, should they decide to visit Korea again one day (I've also been very slowly learning on and off over the last 20 years...so understand the struggle, lol).
I don't know how to review a book like this. I've been torn apart by images of naked, bleeding grief bookended by descriptions of kimchi and the best noodle broths. Impossible how Zauner sways so easily between joyous memories and the still fresh pain of losing her mother. Hoping someday I have half the strength to love like she does.
I don't know how to review a book like this. I've been torn apart by images of naked, bleeding grief bookended by descriptions of kimchi and the best noodle broths. Impossible how Zauner sways so easily between joyous memories and the still fresh pain of losing her mother. Hoping someday I have half the strength to love like she does.
"What we're looking for isn't available at Trader Joe's. H Mart is where your people gather under one odorous roof, full of faith that they'll find something they can't find anywhere else."
The author relates her story about growing up Korean American in a way that anyone, of any background, can find something in. She grew up in Oregon to a demanding mother, struck out on her own after troubled teenage years, and then returns to care for the same mom as she's fighting cancer. It's an honest look at self-image, grief, and identity that I absolutely loved to read.
Her way of writing was stellar even as she described the many different faces of grief and loss, and while I don't really cry from books, this one brought me close. And, I know this is a weird thing to bring up in a sober review like this, but the …
"What we're looking for isn't available at Trader Joe's. H Mart is where your people gather under one odorous roof, full of faith that they'll find something they can't find anywhere else."
The author relates her story about growing up Korean American in a way that anyone, of any background, can find something in. She grew up in Oregon to a demanding mother, struck out on her own after troubled teenage years, and then returns to care for the same mom as she's fighting cancer. It's an honest look at self-image, grief, and identity that I absolutely loved to read.
Her way of writing was stellar even as she described the many different faces of grief and loss, and while I don't really cry from books, this one brought me close. And, I know this is a weird thing to bring up in a sober review like this, but the food descriptions? Like, 5 stars, easy. 6 stars. All the stars.
Highly recommend giving this a read. Incredibly moving, incredibly powerful.
This book feels like a fraught love letter to Zauner's mom, who died of cancer when Zauner was in her mid-20s, wrestling with all the things people go through when trying to find their footing in the world as an independent, functioning adult. She examines her bi-racial, bi-cultural identity and captures the complexity of mother/daughter relationships, all while making it seem effortless to write sentences that any MFA program would give a standing O. I hadn't realized she is also a musician until the end of the book, which then prompted me to go check out her band on twitter.
