Stealing Buddha's Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen

This memoir follows the author, a Vietnamese refugee, as her family struggles to establish a new life in Grand Rapids, Michigan following the fall of Saigon in 1975. We learn how difficult it was for Nguyen to be accepted by American children yet keep the traditions of her Buddhist family. Interestingly, the author cleverly uses the various foods she eats to highlight the cultural differences. All the food talk was a bit bothersome for me to read. American, Mexican, and Vietnamese food are all included. I didn't expect to read a cookbook when I chose this title. I'm drawn to memoirs so I can learn about families and cultures but this emphasis on the food, some of it things I would never want to taste, was annoying. You'll have to judge for yourself, afterall, this book has won a PEN literary award in 2005.
Reviewed by Mrs. Boehm