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Crying in H Mart cover art

Crying in H Mart

By: Michelle Zauner
Narrated by: Michelle Zauner
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Summary

This audio edition is read by the author, Michelle Zauner.

One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of 2021

Goodreads Choice Awards 2021: Winner, Memoir & Autobiography

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, reclaiming the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.

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 revisit.

©2021 Michelle Zauner (P)2021 Penguin Randomhouse LLC

Critic reviews

"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)

"There's a beautiful sureness to her narration throughout, but her voice comes alive when she's describing food: the Korean dishes her mother cooked, learning to make kimchi after her mother's death, her painful attempts to enjoy a meal out with her father in the midst of their grief. By turns funny, heart breaking and self-reflective, this poignant memoir captures all the messy truths of a mother-daughter relationship. Zauner's musical voice - warm, steady and brimming over with emotion - will slide straight into listeners' hearts." (AudioFile)

"A gut punch of a book.... It is a moving and emotional look at an in imperfect mother-daughter relationship, and how truly heartbreaking it is to lose someone before their time." (Independent)

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What listeners say about Crying in H Mart

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Beautiful story, boring and monotonous narrator.

Really beautiful story of a mother daughter love that is incomparable to any other relationship. I really believe that not all authors should also be the narrator, simply because it is their story. At times the narrator was boring and depressing to listen to and it felt more of a task to listen that it perhaps should!

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What a beautifully Written Heart-Wrenching Memoir

The author tells her whole story with such honest truth. Her performance is so beautiful. A real insight into the pain and love of grief.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Powerful memoir on grief, joy and food

What I really enjoyed about this memoir was its rawness, showing the realities of both joy and grief. It’s about grief, anxiety, love and loss, amongst the many flavours of Korean food

“When I go to H Mart, I’m not just on the hunt for cuttlefish and three bunches of scallions for a buck: I’m searching for memories. I’m collecting the evidence that the Korean half of my identity didn’t die when they did.”

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good

at times it felt like it was being "read"
also a bit too long, could have been edited a bit better
but worth your time. honest and well written.

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Good but not great

I feel as though I’ve sat through what should’ve been a therapy session but peace and prayers to her

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Loved the description of Korean food and culture.

I think I would have preferred reading it myself rather than listening to it, the narration was very monotonous I struggled to pay attention. The story was fairly good but it didn’t captivate me. Probably wasn’t in the right mood listening to it as everyone guarantees you’ll cry but I didn’t get close. It has made me want to visit Korea though!

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Heartbreakingly good

Such a good read especially those halfies and 2nd-3rd generation immigrants struggling with their identity and constantly torn between guilt and just wanting to belong.
A story about how much we love our moms no matter the back and forth bickering and constant struggle to breakfree from their projected frustrations and never ending guilt from the realization of how at the end of the day, their love for us knows no bounds and that no matter what happeneds they hold the most power to make or break us.

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Heartbreaking and delicious at the same time

Michelle Zauer’s memoir is majestic. It breaks your heart and it makes you drool over the food she describes, all at the same time.

Her voice is so perfect to read it. So intimate. So personal.

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Beautifully written

This is a beautifully written book and is brutally honest. Made me want to eat Korean food to accompany the book.

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crying in my sick bed

I read this book as part of a book club. I didn't know from the title just how much it would grip my heart. I am an immigrant across the ocean from my family, I am also terminally ill. it's hard to come to terms with freshly 30 and dying fast from home and so many emotions I feel were perfectly encapsulated in this book. I cannot express how thankful I am to have been able to read it.

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