These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser.
Award-winning sociologist Grace M. Cho blends intimate personal history and probing anthropological investigation in her new memoir. A National Book Award finalist, Tastes Like War centers on Cho’s relationship with—and her desire to better understand—her late mother, who experienced the onset of schizophrenia when Cho was just 15 years old. She learns to cook the Korean food her mother ate as a child, and uses the meals as an entry into reflections on her upbringing. Cho seems equally comfortable writing from a place of intimacy as she is writing from a critical distance, and she seamlessly joins heartrending memories with broad cultural, linguistic and political analysis.
Buy Now: Tastes Like War on Bookshop | Amazon
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Cybersecurity Experts Are Sounding the Alarm on DOGE
- Meet the 2025 Women of the Year
- The Harsh Truth About Disability Inclusion
- Why Do More Young Adults Have Cancer?
- Colman Domingo Leads With Radical Love
- How to Get Better at Doing Things Alone
- Michelle Zauner Stares Down the Darkness