Crying In H Mart

One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of 2021 The New York Times bestseller from the Grammy-nominated indie rockstar Japanese Breakfast; an unflinching; deeply moving memoir about growing up mixed-race; Korean food; losing her Korean mother; and forging her own identity in the wake of her loss; which brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste; language; and history her mother had given her. 'As good as everyone says it is and; yes; it will have you in tears. An essential read for anybody who has lost a loved one; as well as those who haven't' - Marie-Claire 'Possibly the best book I've read all year... I will be buying copies for friends and family this Christmas.' Rukmini Iyer in the Guardian 'Best Food Books of 2021' 'Wonderful... The writing about Korean food is gorgeous... but as a brilliant kimchi-related metaphor shows; Zauner's deepest concern is the ferment; and delicacy; of complicated lives.' Victoria Segal; Sunday Times; 'My favourite read of the year' In this exquisite story of family; food; grief; and endurance; Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer; songwriter; and guitarist. With humour and heart; she tells of growing up the only Asian-American kid 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; 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 pancreatic 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; lyrical and honest; Michelle Zauner's voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely; Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish; share; and reread.