I'm Natalie Moore. I fell in love with soap operas when I was just five years old, and I still

watch them. Their television's longest scripted series and have zero reruns. Now let me tell you,

soap operas aren't just some silly art form. They are significant. In this season of making,

Stories Without End from WBEZ Chicago.

Join me as I share how the genre began, their social impact, and why these stories endure.

Listen wherever you get your podcast.

From WBEZ Chicago, I'm Greta Johnson, and this is the Nerdat Book Club.

It's just like a regular book club, except you're totally off the hook if you didn't actually read the book.

This month's selection is Michelle Zonner's Crying in H-Mart.

It's a memoir about food and grief.

It came out earlier this year, and it's based on an article she wrote for The New Yorker in 2018.

I feel a little weird doing a spoiler alert for a memoir, but this is your spoiler alert.

If you haven't read the book and you don't want to know what happens, go listen to some Japanese breakfast.

I say that because Michelle, of course, is the front woman for the band Japanese breakfast.

We can listen to some of that maybe later on. But that's not what crying in Hmart is about. It's about her relationship with her Korean mother, Chongmi, and the food that they shared. Chongmi died of cancer when Michelle was 25. And it's a heartfelt and sometimes devastating read. With me this month to discuss the book are two excellent book nerd podcasters. They are Kari Herrera and Alexis Honoria, who hosts the podcast Lit Society,

a show about books and drama. Kari, Alexis, welcome. Thank you. Thank you for having us.

Yes, thank you for having us. So, Carrie, you read this book before either of us. I'm curious, what stood out to you about it? Did I? Did I read it? I was asking you, did I recommend it? You did. Well, I mean, so like, we had plans to work together for a couple of months now. And I mean, I will, like, I threw out a number of titles. I was sort of like, this is the stuff that's on my radar. And then, Kari, I think like two days later, you were like, okay, Greta, I read that one. We have to do it. True. That's how I remember.

This book made me feel so seen. And I think a very selfish part of my subconscious was like,

everyone should see me too.

And so I was like, Grattle at Alexis, y'all should read this, not thinking about the grief

and how that affects people differently.

So so many people are suffering with cancer right now.

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