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A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR • NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • From the indie rockstar of Japanese Breakfast fame, one of TIME's Most Influential People of 2022, and author of the viral 2018 New Yorker essay that shares the title of this book, an unflinching, powerful memoir about growing up Korean American, losing her mother, and forging her own identity.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.

Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner is a poignant and deeply moving memoir about the author's experience of losing her mother to cancer. Zauner, the frontwoman of the band Japanese Breakfast, navigates the complexities of grief, identity, and the search for meaning in the wake of her mother's death. Through vivid and evocative prose, Zauner explores her Korean American heritage and her relationship with her mother, a Korean immigrant who instilled in her a deep love of food, music, and culture.

The book is a testament to the power of memory and the ways in which our loved ones continue to shape our lives even after they are gone. Zauner's honest and raw portrayal of her grief is both heartbreaking and incredibly relatable. She writes about the mundane moments of everyday life that become infused with significance after the loss of a loved one, and the way that grief can manifest itself in unexpected and often overwhelming ways.

Interspersed throughout the narrative are Zauner's reflections on Korean cuisine and her attempts to replicate her mother's recipes. These culinary explorations become a way for her to connect with her mother's memory and to keep her close. Zauner's writing is infused with a deep love and appreciation for Korean food, and her descriptions of the various dishes she prepares are mouthwatering and evocative.

Crying in H Mart is a beautifully written and deeply moving memoir that explores the complexities of grief, identity, and the search for meaning in the wake of loss. Zauner's honest and raw portrayal of her experience is both heartbreaking and incredibly relatable. Through her vivid and evocative prose, she creates a poignant and lasting tribute to her mother and the Korean American experience.