Fortune.com / April 01, 2021

A mind-bending new collection of short stories from an internationally acclaimed author; a novel about gaming that doubles as a critique on the culture of violence against women in a post–2016-election world; and a guide to some of the world’s most fascinating places from one of America’s most beloved travelers and TV personalities of the last two decades. Here is a selection of new nonfiction and fiction works being published in April. Think Like a Breadwinner: A Wealth-Building Manifesto for Women Who Want to Earn More (and Worry Less) by Jennifer Barrett Available April 6 Touted as a new kind of manifesto for working women, with guidance on establishing a better work/life balance and managing personal finances, financial expert Jennifer Barrett posits what it means to be a breadwinner in the 21st century. She stresses the importance of women generating and accumulating their own wealth, underscoring the freedom and power that comes with being your own breadwinner.

Time Magazine / April 01, 2021

The best new books arriving in April tackle a wide range of subjects, from a sweeping anthology that illuminates the history of Black farmers in the United States to the firsthand account of an EMT in New York City. This month welcomes the return of award-winning authors like Jhumpa Lahiri and Haruki Murakami as well as the first novels from Morgan Jerkins and JoAnne Tompkins. Here, the best books to read in April. We Are Each Other’s Harvest: Celebrating African American Farmers, Land, and Legacy, Natalie Baszile (April 6) In her new anthology, Natalie Baszile examines the relationship between Black farming and American culture through essays, photographs, first-person accounts and more. Together, these pieces dissect the legacy of Black farmers in the U.S. and the impact of land loss and food injustice over generations. In illuminating how these farmers persevered in the face of such challenges, Baszile creates a moving collection about identity, food and community.

The Seattle Times / April 15, 2021

In 2016, Oregon-raised Michelle Zauner released her first album under the alias Japanese Breakfast, “Psychopomp.” That same year, she won an essay contest in Glamour. The title of the essay, “Love, Loss, and Kimchi,” hints at some of the ways Zauner coped with profound grief: food, and by channeling creativity — two passions she shared with her mother, who passed away two years prior. Zauner’s new memoir, “Crying in H Mart,” grew from that essay, and the 2018 New Yorker article that shares the book’s name. In the memoir, Zauner chronicles the loss of her mother, who died from cancer when the author was in her early 20s. But to simply call it a grief memoir flattens what is truly a multidimensional work. This story is a nuanced portrayal of a young person grappling with what it means to embody familial and cultural histories, to be fueled by creative pursuits, to examine complex relationships with place, and to endure the acute pain of losing a parent just on the other side of a tumultuous adolescence. “Her memory was the archive of my existence,” Zauner says of her mother over Zoom on a recent spring afternoon. “This book is very much an ode to my mother.”

Vogue / April 19, 2021

Michelle Zauner—the musician who performs as Japanese Breakfast, now also a published author—tells me she is most excited and nervous to hear what other Koreans will think of her memoir, Crying in H Mart. “I think it’s because there's this instant camaraderie with other Korean artists, but [they’re going to] be the most judgmental, you know what I mean?” she says. “I know when I see something romanticized in a way that I don't like, it bothers me.” Zauner has nothing to worry about. Crying in H Mart is a distinctly Korean-American story that plunges into the complexities and nuances of a young woman straddling two cultures. As a Korean-American myself, I related to Zauner’s constant self-examination of her identity, including the early-life shame she felt for being Asian in a predominantly white neighborhood. (Zauner is mixed-race, born in Seoul and raised in Eugene, Oregon, to a Korean mother and a white father.)

Chicago Humanities Festival / May 05, 2021

About the Event: In 2018 Michelle Zauner (also known by her indie rockstar alias Japanese Breakfast) penned the New Yorker article “Crying in H Mart” about losing her mother. Three years later this essay, which she describes as “the first chapter of the story that I want to tell about my mother,” has expanded into Zauner’s memoir—a story of food, family, and grief. Zauner comes to CHF to discuss growing up Korean American, becoming a musician, and remembering her mother. She is joined in conversation by New Yorker staff writer Jia Tolentino. All CHF's virtual events have closed captions. About the Book Pre-order your book and directly support independent bookselling in Chicago. CHF does not earn revenue from book sales. Books will be shipped to registered guests within 7-10 business days of the event (U.S. addresses only). Please be patient as you may be affected by general shipping delays occurring nationwide. The Chicago Humanities Festival is pleased to partner with the Seminary Co-op Bookstores, a not-for-profit bookstore whose mission is bookselling. If you have any questions about Seminary Co-op book fulfillment, please contact Seminary Co-op.

Reporter Newspapers / May 05, 2021

The Atlanta History Center in Buckhead has three authors of note on its May schedule, all appearing virtually in free events. Indie rock musician Michelle Zauner will present her memoir “Crying in H Mart” about growing up as a Korean American, on Thursday, May 6, at 6 p.m. Jennifer Jewell, host of NPR’s “Cultivating Place,” introduces her book “The Earth in Her Hands: 75 Extraordinary Women Working in the World of Plants” on Wednesday, May 12 at 7 p.m. Then, on Thursday, May 13 at 7 p.m., New York Times columnist Charles Blow will discuss “The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto,” described as a “call to action for Black Americans to amass political power and fight white supremacy.”

Marie Claire / June 01, 2021

Michelle Zauner's Crying in H Mart is as good as everyone says it is and, yes, it will have you in tears. The memoir, an expansion of Zauner's viral New Yorker essay, dives deep into the musician's experience losing her mother to cancer and how it shaped her identity. Filled with odes to her Korean heritage, the book has left many readers grappling with their own complex familial food memories. "It was both comforting and exposing to have Zauner write about the food I grew up with," explains one reviewer. "She mentions yukgaejang (육개장), which is my mother's speciality. I’ve tried to learn from her, but it's almost impossible with the language barrier and her not needing a recipe. And after Zauner’s mother passes, Zauner decides to make herself the ultimate Korean comfort food, doenjang jjigae (된장찌개). Reading a description of this in English made me feel a bit uneasy." Despite the mix of emotions this book may bring to the surface for readers—food-related or not—the #ReadWithMC community emphasizes Zauner's memoir is an essential read for anybody who has lost a loved one, as well as those who haven't. "I knew this would be a difficult read for me personally, having lost my mom to lymphoma 14 years ago and it definitely pierced through my heart," writes another reviewer. "I think initially I almost wanted to avoid reading it because of the pain and grief I still feel about my mom’s passing, but I’m so glad I was able to pick it up."

The New York Times / June 01, 2021

NUESTRA AMÉRICA My Family in the Vertigo of Translation By Claudio Lomnitz 445 pp. Other Press. $27.99. First published in Spanish in 2018, Lomnitz’s family memoir is an immersion in the Ashkenazi Jewish diaspora. The vertigo teased in the subtitle holds true both for the book itself — the author based this version on an English translation by Vincent Barletta — and for the challenges it documents, of sustaining kinship and community across four continents and six languages that also include Yiddish, Russian, German and French. A professor of anthropology at Columbia University and a columnist for Mexico City’s La Jornada, Lomnitz writes a multigenerational story from the perspective of a descendant “born in a sea of lin....

Travel + Leisure / May 14, 2021

Travel is a fundamental part of the Asian American and Pacific Islander experience. That's due in large part to the fact that so much of the community arrived in the U.S. after the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which did away with prior quotas based on national origin that severely restricted immigrants from Asia for decades. Approximately 57% of Asian Americans were born outside the U.S., meaning the majority traveled here from somewhere else, or their parents or grandparents did. We're used to looking at our surroundings from a different perspective, and that makes for compelling storytelling. Here are 20 books by Asian and Pacific Islander authors that center on travel or evoke a strong sense of place.

The Christian Science Monitor / June 08, 2021

After her mother’s death, Michelle Zauner was drawn to Korean food markets, where she cried in the aisles while clutching ingredients that brought back memories of meals her mother had cooked. In 2018, Zauner – who leads the indie rock band Japanese Breakfast – transformed that gastronomical bond into a moving essay about finding connection to one’s family through food for The New Yorker. That essay became the basis for a full-fledged memoir with the same title, “Crying in H Mart.” Zauner’s mother emerges as the dominant figure as Zauner details their turbulent-though-loving relationship with candor and humor, even as she grieves her mother’s absence.