Michelle Zauner’s "Crying in H Mart" named UCSB Reads 2026 Book

"Crying in H Mart" by Michelle Zauner is the book selection for UCSB Reads 2026, the 20th anniversary of UC Santa Barbara’s award-winning common book program.

This vibrant and sensory memoir explores self-discovery, grief and Korean-American culture through the celebratory lens of food and family. "Crying in H Mart" was a New York Times bestseller and received numerous awards and accolades. The New Yorker described it as “a book you experience with all of your senses: sentences you can taste, paragraphs that sound like music."

Michelle Zauner is a young Korean-American musician, writer and the lead vocalist of acclaimed indie pop band Japanese Breakfast. The band’s third album, Jubilee (2021), charted on the Billboard 200 and was nominated for two Grammy Awards. TIME magazine named Zauner one of the 100 most influential people of 2022.

UCSB Reads fosters a shared sense of belonging by bringing the campus and Santa Barbara communities together to read a common book that explores compelling issues of our time.

UCSB Reads 2026 will launch on January 13 with a free book giveaway for UCSB students. Throughout the winter and spring quarters, the Library will sponsor a variety of free learning, experiential and social events to explore the book’s themes. Instructors are encouraged to incorporate "Crying in H Mart" into their winter or spring courses. The Library will provide free copies of the book to all students who are assigned to read it as part of coursework.

UCSB Reads 2026 will culminate with a free public talk by Michelle Zauner at UCSB Campbell Hall on May 7, presented in partnership with UCSB Arts & Lectures.

If you wish to teach the book, participate in events or support UCSB Reads 2026, please email UCSBReads@library.ucsb.edu or visit www.library.ucsb.edu/ucsbreads2026.