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wishlissa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Infidelity, Medical content, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
It feels impossible to rate this book of another person’s grief. I considered this last night as I cleaned the kitchen, only two chapters left for this morning. Food is a means of connection in my family, too, although I won’t be naïve enough to say it is that way in every family. This book is poignant and beautifully written, made my heart ache, and ignited a craving for the unmistakable flavor kimchi I couldn’t satisfy at 1am. But when I go to the Asian market later to buy some, I will think of how my own parents show their love for us. And I will think of Michelle’s mom the whole time.mya_jt's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
4.0
For some reason, I did not have any clue what this book was going to be about. Completely ignoring the title, evidently, I thought I was going into a humorous, lighthearted story, about grocery shopping or something. Rather, if you're unsure about its topic, as I was, "Crying" is definitely the key word. {I cried many times myself, just experiencing this story secondhand.} It is about a difficult relationship and losing someone close to you. So close to you, they're really a part of you. It is so personal, it is difficult to even explain. I really felt the author's pain. It was quite the experience. I would recommend it to: anyone looking for emotions, humanity, vulnerability, something about the world, reflections on an interesting (in my opinion ofc) life, a complicated mother-daughter relationship, a story both of community and isolation, someone to tell you something deep, to draw tears from your eyes and feeling from your cold dead heart, someone to grieve with, someone to sing with, or someone to teach you about comfort food. This is a good choice for you, I swear.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
ktrainofthoughts's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
laurenlsmith's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Death and Medical content
Minor: Body shaming
mondayn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Death, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Alcoholism, Xenophobia, and Alcohol
emmabjones's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Oh wow. I loved this very much. Not usually a fan of audiobooks but it was told beautifully and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Seriously you should go listen to it on Spotify. I loved this book very much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Abortion
psellars11's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
An incredibly poignant memoir, I chose to read this as an audiobook which was narrated by the author herself. It made the book more personal and enjoyable for me. Do not read this if you are triggered by death, cancer, graphic descriptions of grief, and or medical emergencies. I am pretty sensitive to that stuff, but I pushed through and it was worth it.
I didn’t realize Michelle Zauner had written this book - it was always on my list because I am part white and Asian and I thought the discussions of Asian culture and family relationships would be interesting to me. It definitely was, and it really highlights the trauma evident in many Asian households and the rigid relationships parents and children have, especially dealing with their lives in America. Zauner writes so eloquently, touching on many trying and traumatic aspects of growing up biracial in America, from having few friends, to rebelling against Asian culture, to wistfully regretting that rebellion as an adult, and trying to reclaim and recapture that identity again later on. The loss of connection to your Asian family, the desire to be conventionally beautiful in either white or Asian culture, and so on. Additionally, the importance of food is woven throughout, as it’s emblematic of Korean culture and her relationship with her mother.
This book will make you cry. I cried at least 4-5 times when the grief was discussed and her mother’s death. I knew it was inevitable but it still hurt me nonetheless. It was incredibly cathartic and if you are in the right headspace- this is an incredible, touching read. It ended on a positive note highlighting Zauner’s relationship with Peter and their success in their band, Japanese Breakfast. I loved the homage to her mother with the cover of the album too.
I didn’t realize Michelle Zauner had written this book - it was always on my list because I am part white and Asian and I thought the discussions of Asian culture and family relationships would be interesting to me. It definitely was, and it really highlights the trauma evident in many Asian households and the rigid relationships parents and children have, especially dealing with their lives in America. Zauner writes so eloquently, touching on many trying and traumatic aspects of growing up biracial in America, from having few friends, to rebelling against Asian culture, to wistfully regretting that rebellion as an adult, and trying to reclaim and recapture that identity again later on. The loss of connection to your Asian family, the desire to be conventionally beautiful in either white or Asian culture, and so on. Additionally, the importance of food is woven throughout, as it’s emblematic of Korean culture and her relationship with her mother.
This book will make you cry. I cried at least 4-5 times when the grief was discussed and her mother’s death. I knew it was inevitable but it still hurt me nonetheless. It was incredibly cathartic and if you are in the right headspace- this is an incredible, touching read. It ended on a positive note highlighting Zauner’s relationship with Peter and their success in their band, Japanese Breakfast. I loved the homage to her mother with the cover of the album too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Death, Racism, Terminal illness, and Car accident
theotherlindsay's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Death
thursdd4y's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
One of the best memoirs I’ve read, so beautiful, raw and honest, and it completely speaks to me as someone who is mixed heritage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Death of parent
linearev's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.75
So, I have been reading a lot of Korean and Japanese book lately, a campaign kicked off by the ‘before the coffee gets cold’ series and intensefied by Sayaka Murata. And so when I picked up this book, I fully expected to at least like it.
However, I was not in the slightest, ready, for the heavy hitting force of the fact, that this is a self biography. A portrait of no the the Korean minority in USA but also of a complicated relationship between a mother and daughter. A generational tradition of complicated love and amazing food. It introduces the reader to the inner workings of someone who is both rather relatable as she is partly American, yet also somewhat astranged (from someone who grew up so differently). And yet, the brilliance of her writing reveals itself by letting us into her Korean side and guiding us through that world. It left me feeling both entertained yet also more knowledgeable each time I finished a chapter. Because somehow she balanced this complicated self portrait with humor which created the sort of entertainment often found in fictional books.
All to say that this was very good. It sort of reminds me of the new and popular “I’m glad my mom died” which ironically takes the opposite stance of the maternal relation between the main people, yet left me with the same feeling of stepping out of the life of someone compelling and complicated. I liked it enormously and hope to read more from her soon.
However, I was not in the slightest, ready, for the heavy hitting force of the fact, that this is a self biography. A portrait of no the the Korean minority in USA but also of a complicated relationship between a mother and daughter. A generational tradition of complicated love and amazing food. It introduces the reader to the inner workings of someone who is both rather relatable as she is partly American, yet also somewhat astranged (from someone who grew up so differently). And yet, the brilliance of her writing reveals itself by letting us into her Korean side and guiding us through that world. It left me feeling both entertained yet also more knowledgeable each time I finished a chapter. Because somehow she balanced this complicated self portrait with humor which created the sort of entertainment often found in fictional books.
All to say that this was very good. It sort of reminds me of the new and popular “I’m glad my mom died” which ironically takes the opposite stance of the maternal relation between the main people, yet left me with the same feeling of stepping out of the life of someone compelling and complicated. I liked it enormously and hope to read more from her soon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent