If you're intrigued by stories of cultural identity and the immigrant experience, "Stealing Buddha's Dinner" could resonate with you. The author, Bich Minh Nguyen, uses the yearning for American junk food as a powerful symbol for her deeper hunger to fit in during her 1980s Midwestern childhood. This memoir is not just about the assimilation into a new culture but also a tender, humorous, and poignant journey of self-discovery and the universal quest for acceptance.

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As a Vietnamese girl coming of age in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Nguyen is filled with a rapacious hunger for American identity. In the pre-PC-era Midwest, the desire to belong transmutes into a passion for American food. In this memoir, the glossy branded allure of American snacks becomes a metaphor for Nguyen's struggle to become a "real" American. Vivid and powerful, this book introduces a new literary voice and a unique take on the classic assimilation story.

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