May 07 Thursday
Bestselling author and Grammy-nominated musician Michelle Zauner (Japanese Breakfast) shares the moving story behind her memoir Crying in H Mart, a powerful meditation on family, food, identity and loss. Through lyrical prose and emotional honesty, Zauner explores her Korean-American heritage and her mother’s enduring influence, evoking the tastes and textures that shape memory.
The UCSB Reads 2026 book selection is Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. Zauner's debut book spent 60 weeks on The New York Times hardcover non-fiction bestseller list and received a 2022 American Book Award and the 2021 Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir & Autobiography. It was also named a top book of the year by numerous publications, including TIME, The Atlantic, and Entertainment Weekly.
Michelle Zauner is a young Korean-American musician, singer, songwriter, director, and author. She is the lead vocalist of acclaimed indie pop band Japanese Breakfast. The band’s third album, Jubilee (2021), charted on the Billboard 200, peaking at No. 56, and was nominated for two Grammy Awards – for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album. TIME magazine named Zauner one of the 100 most influential people of 2022.
