Reviews tagging 'Drug use'

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

97 reviews

laurataylor's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Drug use, Excrement, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Alcohol

risten's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Car accident

ciwanski's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

This was a beautiful book. I cried, I laughed, I thought about it when I wasn’t reading it, and I was fully invested when I was. This story is so personal to Michelle, it’s an honor to have been able to not only read it but hear Michelle herself narrate it for me. Despite the personal nature of the book, I was definitely able to relate the themes and contemplations to my own experiences, thoughts, and fears. I’d love to read any other novels Michelle decides to put out. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction and Drug use

Minor: Abortion

alexcooper88's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer and Death of parent

Moderate: Drug use and Vomit

thewordsdevourer's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

part memoir, part love letter to food and the healing it can bring, crying in h mart is a moving book that also complexly examines the intricacies of familial bonds, cultures, identity, and growing up.

i admire zauner not only for her courage in baring her vulnerabilities during a turbulent time in her life, but also her great writing and the ability to describe certain oft unspoken feelings and ties that are familiar and relatable to many, me included. the straddling of two cultures, never feeling fully whole in either; the complicated bonds and strains with her mother; grappling with adulthood, etc. like, i actually get it all, so painfully familiar they are.

ofc i'd be srsly remiss if i didnt mention how excellently described and explored food is in this memoir.  the descriptions are deliciously drool-worthy, conjuring familiar dishes while also introducing newer, less famous yet equally interesting ones. the bonds and connections korean food and cooking allow the author to feel w/ her mother and korean culture also illustrate their importance in a larger personal context.

just like how zauner heals from eating and cooking, i also heal from reading this book.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Racism, Medical content, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Car accident, and Abortion

alyx's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Terminal illness, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Car accident, and Alcohol

Minor: Emotional abuse, Racism, Car accident, and Abortion

ekmook's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

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

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Excrement, Abortion, and Alcohol

kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

4.0

This book resonated with me because even now, I find connection to my dad through the foods he liked, that we shared. Food was always big and important, albeit not always fancy, in our household; much the same as food was so important in Michelle’s household growing up. If you’ve lost a parent, I think this book will have something relatable for you in it. I felt deeply touched by the author’s willingness to expose so much of herself and the love she has for her mother in this memoir. I truly felt connected to their family through the stories she shared. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship

beansbookshelf's review against another edition

emotional funny sad fast-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Medical content, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Car accident, and Abortion

mcz_reads's review against another edition

emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

I don't know why I'm surprised that a memoir about the death of the author's mother brought me to tears as often as it did, yet here we are. The book starts slow and at first feels like the stringing together of random moments and subjects, but by the end Zauner has created a layered story about grief, love, identity, and culture. There's an impressive balance between accountability and credibility, particularly in writing about herself and her mother. The author is open about her characters' flaws and mistakes, but still conveys the reasoning behind their thought processes and actions. The way she connects food to specific memories and ideas about culture makes the memoir stand out, though I did find some of the descriptions and ideas a bit repetitive. The writing style is creative but not overly artsy; the language and prose are very accessible. I think this is a great book for those who enjoy memoirs and readers looking for books about grief or mother-daughter relationships.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Drug use, Car accident, and Alcohol