Crying in H Mart: A Memoir

Michelle Zauner, known as the indie rock musician Japanese Breakfast, presents a memoir about family, food, grief, and her experience growing up Korean American. The book chronicles her childhood as one of few Asian American students in Eugene, Oregon; her complicated relationship with her mother's high expectations; and formative time spent in her grandmother's apartment in Seoul, bonding over meals late into the night. As Zauner moved to the East Coast for college, worked in restaurants, and performed with her band, her connection to her Korean heritage grew distant. When her mother received a terminal cancer diagnosis at Zauner's age twenty-five, it prompted her to reclaim the cultural gifts—taste, language, and history—her mother had shared with her. The memoir includes family photographs and combines lyrical, honest storytelling with intimate anecdotes.