Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Stealing Buddha's Dinner Many Vietnamese families escaped Vietnam at the end of the war, and arrived in the United States. Stealing Buddha's Dinner is the memoir of a woman who, as an infant, was brought by her father, along with her sister, her grandmother, and two uncles, to the United States and eventually settled in Grand Rapids. She talks about growing up in a community without much diversity and being one of the only children who was not blue eyed with blond hair. She explains how she desperatly wanted to fit into a culture that was very different from the one she was growing up in in her home. It is a very interesting look at being an outsider and how difficult it is for immigrants to choose between keeping their home culture intact or embracing the new culture into which they have moved. It is a very interesting book. 4:05:00 PM

© Copyright 2008 Jocelyn Shaw. Last update: 6/18/2008; 3:26:48 PM. Photo curtesy of Marjorie O'Brien