Crying in H-Mart by Michelle Zauner

Crying in H-Mart! Where do I start? First off, the opening chapter called Crying in H-Mart Mart had me feeling all kinds of things. Being close to my culture, my mother and food, this opening chapter brought forward so many different feelings. Like the need to call my mother to tell her that I love her. This book is written by Michelle Zauner and dedicated to the mother Chongmi. It looks at the “American Dream” which is a lie, to look like everyone else in America and forget all about your roots. In the book Michelle explores the theme of identity. Through her mother getting sick and passing, Michelle finally understands all of the important cultural teachings her mother was trying to teach her all of her life. It sets in motion the identity that Michelle was always trying to reach but didn’t quite understand. Watching someone you love wither away can do one of three things for you, 1) make you miserable, never again happy or worthy of happiness (which Michelle writes about) or 2) makes you realize things about yourself that you may not have ever thought of before, helping guide you to the person you were meant to be (which Michelle also shares) and sometimes it can do both (which Michelle also write about). There is no time limit for grief nor to find yourself. Sometimes things take a little longer than expected and life can take a turn in the direction of good or bad. It is up to us to make a choice. I absolutely loved this book and all it entails, though I will say that sometimes I became a little distracted and lost when she veered off topic. I would most definitely recommend this book to people who are struggling with their identity, who are of first generation American, and whose parents can seem a little pretentious. There is a reason why parents are the way they are and sometimes it may take us a little longer to understand. I would also recommend this book to teachers to teach in their classrooms. Themes of identity, dreams, family, and culture are things many students deal with. I will say however, that there are a word or two that may not be entirely appropriate so I recommend checking with your principal first and this should be taught at junior and senior high school level. Overall, I rate this book at 8/10, simply because of the continuous veering.