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WITS Study Hall is a collaborative learning space for adult learners to actively participate in anti-racist conversation and enjoy the works of writers of color. We focus not just on anti-racist discourse, but celebrating the range of genres and stories by BIPOC authors.

WITS Study Hall explores one book every two months and is open to all readers. You can sign up to join our virtual meetings, or use this framework to start your own book club. We’ll provide the book selection, discussion questions, and supplemental resources. Whatever your engagement, we hope you join us in this important reading.

WHAT WE HAVE READ SO FAR

WITS STUDY HALL BOOKS 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR
WITS STUDY HALL BOOKS 2022-2023 SCHOOL YEAR
WITS STUDY HALL BOOKS 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR

WHAT'S NEXT?

Every summer, WITS collects votes to help decide on the next five Study Hall books. The twelve books that will be voted on have been featured in numerous must-read lists and include several bestsellers. You can vote using the form below, and let us know what you'd like to read next. We look forward to reading with you this school year!

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Read About Each Title And Author

Step 1 of 2

Which of these books are you books are you most excited to read? (check all that apply)(Required)

currently reading

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Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner

CRYING IN H MART

Join us on May 21 to discuss Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up one of the few Asian American kids at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother’s particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother’s tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food.

Purchase the book

Discussion Questions

Supplemental Resources

“Crying in H Mart powerfully maps a complicated mother-daughter relationship . . . Zauner writes about her mother’s death [with] clear-eyed frankness . . . The book is a rare acknowledgment of the ravages of cancer in a culture obsessed with seeing it as an enemy that can be battled with hope and strength. Zauner plumbs the connections between food and identity . . . her food descriptions transport us to the table alongside her. What Crying in H Mart reveals is that in losing her mother and cooking to bring her back to life, Zauner became herself.” - NPR

Our next meeting

May 21  2024

6:00-7:00pm CST

Zoom Link will be emailed

Sign up to attend

Please fill out this form to sign up for the next Study Hall meeting

  • We will use this number to text you reminders about meetings.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS - CRYING IN H MART

Keep in mind the following discussion questions to get you thinking as you read:

One

What does this book reveal about the complications of growing up mixed-race?

Two

What do Chongmi’s habits and beliefs reveal about her?

Three

What did this book teach you about caregiving? What did this book teach you about grief?

Four

How does Michelle’s relationship with her mother evolve over the course of the memoir?  

SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES - CRYING IN H MART

These additional resources will help integrate learning from our Study Hall books with additional interviews, articles, and podcasts. They may be referenced during WITS Study Hall meetings, so check them out.

When Her Mother Died, She Found Solace at a Korean Grocery - New York Times Book Review

WHAT WE ARE READING THIS YEAR

September 2023 - May 2024

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