Crying in H MartCrying in H Mart
What it's about
Michelle Zauner, the musician known as Japanese Breakfast, grew up in Oregon with a Korean mother and an American father, and often clashed with her demanding mother. When she was twenty-five, her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and Michelle moved home to care for her. After her mother's death, she taught herself to cook the Korean food they had shared, as a way of holding on.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Goodreads Choice Award for memoir and spent months on bestseller lists. It's a raw, beautiful book about grief, identity and food.
You'll love it if you liked
The Year of Magical Thinking
Stay True
Educated: A MemoirGood to know
The details of her mother's illness are hard to read. There's a lot of mouthwatering food.
By the numbers
- Readers73 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller72 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz5 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #101 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #95 of the 481 new books we rank
- #528 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Moving
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Quick answers
Is Crying in H Mart worth reading?
Yes. It won the Goodreads Choice Award for memoir and spent months on bestseller lists. It ranks #528 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 78.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Crying in H Mart about?
Michelle Zauner, the musician known as Japanese Breakfast, grew up in Oregon with a Korean mother and an American father, and often clashed with her demanding mother. When she was twenty-five, her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and Michelle moved home to care for her. After her mother's death, she taught herself to cook the Korean food they had shared, as a way of holding on.
How long does it take to read Crying in H Mart?
About 6 hours (257 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Crying in H Mart won?
Goodreads Choice (memoir autobiography) winner (2021).
What should I read after Crying in H Mart?
If you liked it, try The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, Stay True by Hua Hsu or Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover.