Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

151 reviews

pageafter_paige's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

5.0

Wow what a powerful book. I think as someone who isn’t/can’t speak Korean that the audiobook was the way to go because I was able to hear Michelle speak the language with the pronunciation, inflection, tone, etc. 

Michelle opens up to us about being a mixed child and her relationship with her Korean mother. Much of their relationship centers around food which is a big theme throughout and definitely made me hungry. But to them it’s more than hunger. It’s culture, and connection to each other and their roots.

One of the most powerful displays of Michelle and her moms connection can be seen through Michelle’s first two words as a baby (iykyk). Even Michelle’s relationship with her father is somewhat run through her mother. 

My favorite quote can be found in the last chapter: “If there was a god, it seemed my mother must have had her foot on his neck, demanding good things come my way. That if we had to be ripped apart right at our turning point, just when things were really starting to get good, the least god could do was make a few of her daughter’s pipe dreams come true.”

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Addiction, Death, Grief, Terminal illness, Cursing, Cancer, Classism, Drug abuse, Medical content, Racism, Vomit, and Death of parent

alex_johnson_2021's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad slow-paced

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Death of parent

wickedgrumpy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

2.5

I don't even really know what to say, but I will try to put something about the reading experience into words.

It was alright.  I teared up a few times.  The descriptions of food were verbose and evocative, sometimes excessively so.  I love Maangchi.

This is a story of grief and mourning, of finding your identity and how it changes as you grow, relationships and connections.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcohol, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Death, Excrement, and Fatphobia

Minor: Abortion, Body shaming, Drug use, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Car accident, Confinement, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Sexism

mirandyli's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Crying in Hmart has got me crying in Hmart. If you are a second gen East Asian immigrant, this book will make you cry. It was so painfully relatable and will make you want to hug your mom, no matter how much you hate her. Book of the year.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Excrement, Abortion, Drug use, Medical content, Misogyny, Cancer, Colonisation, Death, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Addiction, Car accident, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Grief, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Infidelity, and Racism

imaginaryisobel's review against another edition

inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Addiction

Minor: Infidelity and Abortion

vulcandropout's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

3.0

I thought she was japanese this whole time bc band name and  can you make me breakfast in bed? And when I wake up in the morning will you give me lots of head?  This is my first audiobook I actually listened to the whole thing.  I feel like there is a lot of trauma here she still hasn't fully accepted as trauma while the whole book is about trauma until the very end.  Probably the only memoir Ill ever listen to .  I felt like I had to since since last year  I listen to japanese breakfast everyday.  Especially heft and sweet sounds of a distant planet. Hits me so hard. I actually never knew they were this popular like 20 million listens on spotify popular bc I never heard of them spotify reced them to me one day. All the listens are from me.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Alcoholism, Car accident, Abortion, and Addiction

Why I tagged as sexual assault: i forgot what that thing kakashi does is called but she was like its not sexual assault and procedded to respond to being on the recieving end like if it were sexaul assault. It is also not an isolated incident.

jlferrazzo27's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

4.75 Stars — wonderfully written and beautifully captures grief, loss, and complicated relationships. Truly enjoyed!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer

Minor: Drug abuse, Addiction, Drug use, and Abortion

cepbreed's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

I hate this book. It’s even worse that it’s a memoir, this is her actual life and yet I’m imparting all of my painful feelings onto her family. Michelle Zauner has crafted a story that has forced me to become both daughter and mother, a dangerous evolution for me, a daughter who is so single minded. I knew I would relate very rawly to her experience. I mean how could I not. I’m a half Korean half white girl born and raised in America whose connections to her heritage and mother are never good enough. That speaks for the daughter side of it all, but seeing Zauner take on the primary caregiver role for an extremely chronically ill person has put me entirely in my mother’s shoes. Obviously I didn’t die, but I was nearly there. I hated myself so much, for being so sickly, so full of hatred, so ugly, so weak, but my mother stood witness to it all. She absorbed my pain and never let hers show. Zauner’s words have cut deep into old scars and torn my heart in two. This memoir is everything to me and I’ll never be the same. 

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Abortion, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Alcohol

Minor: Child abuse, Excrement, Car accident, and Vomit

lizziaha's review against another edition

4.25

do not read this book hungry. the way dauber describes food had me literally salivating. tucked between scenes of love and strife and grief with her mother, the food was the real star of the show for me, and I was impressed by this clear through line that lingers in every inclusion to this book.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Addiction

Minor: Infidelity, Abortion, and Car accident

takarakei's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

A deeply personal memoir about mother/daughter relationships, and being an Asian American balancing two cultures. Michelle's relationship with her mother (and father) is very complicated. Much of the book deals with her mother's battle with cancer (check full TW!). Those of Asian and particularly Korean heritage will find many cultural comforts, especially when it comes to Korean food descriptions. The art teacher passage/letter wrecked me. Being a fan of Japanese Breakfast, I never knew their first album was a picture of Michelle's mom and that she wrote some of the songs for her.

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Mental illness and Excrement

Minor: Addiction, Racism, Alcoholism, Abortion, Infidelity, and Car accident

This book focuses very heavily on Michelle's mother's battle with cancer, and the struggle of caretaking through terminal illness. Michelle has a sometimes contentious relationship with both her parents. Her father deals with substance abuse issues.