Part essay, part memoir, and part cultural criticism, Cathy Park Hong's Minor Feelings draws on her lived experiences of growing up as a Korean immigrant in the United States. She creates the term "minor feelings" to articulate the cognitive dissonance immigrants feel between American optimism and the limitations, both visible and invisible, of contemporary western society. Hong explores this conflict and tension through dark humour, sharp analysis, and personal experiences as a writer in the United States.

Minor Feelings was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist and a National Book Critics Circle Award Winner. It was also listed as one of the best books of the year in 2020 by various publications and organizations. Cathy Park Hong has won the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize and, in 2021, was listed as one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people for her work in advocacy of Asian American women.