Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

110 reviews

dizzzybrook's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

This will forever be a six star book for me no matter how many times I read it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Emotional abuse, Cancer, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Vomit

thmei's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

i’ve been avoiding this book since it came out. my mom almost died a few years ago- she is still quite sick- and i definitely haven’t processed that yet but, more importantly, food is not my favorite subject. i’ve had an eating disorder all my life and i spent childhood parties, holidays with family, and school lunches stressing about the food most people were excited about. i understood how food, especially her culture’s food, could connect michelle to her mother after her death, but i thought it would be overwhelming and stressful to read about. i was wrong. i may not have gotten hungry listening to michelle talk about all the korean meals she and her mom used to share, but i still got choked up thinking about weekends spent at my great aunt’s house with her, my mom, my grandmother, and my great grandmother crowded into the tiny kitchen, gossiping over loaves of challah and middle eastern dinners and big party bowls of homemade sangria. i was crying less than ten minutes in, thinking about my great grandma, who died in 2020 and whom i really haven’t had a chance to grieve, wishing i had appreciated her more while she was here. even when michelle’s life differed from mine, even when she experienced things i never will, i felt her words so deeply. the feat of a memoir author to craft a complete and compelling story out of all the thoughts and memories in their head has always seemed a daunting one to me, and she does it beautifully. the audiobook felt like being confided in by a friend. i adored it. i feel seen. i feel heartbroken and consoled. i feel reassured knowing other people feel as cut off from their culture as i do, even people who were born in their parents’ country and who have had the chance to see it for themselves. i feel blessed to have my mother, for all her flaws, and for having been so privileged that i got to sit with my great grandmother for years and years and hear her life story and her words about egypt. i feel for the first time in my life that maybe, someday, food will be a comfort. maybe someday it will bring me joy.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Grief

Minor: Medical content and Medical trauma

the graphic topics are basically the plot of the entire book. michelle’s mom died of cancer. you know this from the first sentence. it is not written about as if the author intends to horrify or shock you. it isn’t graphic in a traumatic way, it’s just ever present. it is one of the few books i would universally encourage you to read if you’ve experienced the tagged triggers. knowing someone else has gone through this, is still grieving, and yet still has joy, is something all of us in grief need. there are scenes in hospitals and descriptions of caretaking but i didn’t think they were particularly graphic or disturbing. i have taken care of a chronically ill parent, however, so maybe take my thoughts with a grain of salt.

corpseparty's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Probably my favorite memoir I’ve read. One of the only books to make me cry.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Death, Medical content, Terminal illness, Abortion, Racism, and Grief

paigebayliss's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

Such a beautiful, heart wrenching book. I had to read this through watery eyes for the majority, but a lovely exploration of the complexities of mother-daughter love. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness and Death of parent

carpfish's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, and Medical trauma

nialiversuch's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Alcohol, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Addiction, Abortion, Cursing, Car accident, Bullying, Xenophobia, and Vomit

somebodys_fool's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Chronic illness, and Death

oatmilkjuqi's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Cancer, and Terminal illness

maevebeck's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

such a great memior!! it’s focused, vivid, and so so real. made me want to try lots of korean food. i love it when in memoirs the author finds like a medium to communicate emotions, where in this case it’s food. i wish that the whole h mart part was driven home a little more but eh i’ll let it slide because it was just so good. incredible work from a great musician and writer. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Chronic illness, and Cancer

Moderate: Alcoholism

corriejn's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Medical content

Moderate: Alcohol, Excrement, Drug use, and Medical trauma

Minor: Infidelity, Vomit, and Racism