Book #43 Stealing Buddha's Dinner by Bich Minh Nguyen. Growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan would be difficult for an outsider, but even worse for a Vietnamese refugee. Bich, pronounced Bitch, escapes Vietnam with her father, grandmother, sister, and two uncles. They end up in GR where a community of Vietnamese refugees have settled. Bich guides us through her growing up as an American "wannabe" with all the pain of being an outsider. Much of the memories has to do with food: fast food, food Nori, her grandmother makes, Mexican food her stepmother, Rosa, cooks, food for Tet, food for lunches that would show you were cool at school, and food during her later visit to her family in Vietnam. She craves acceptance and can never get enough to eat. She hoards food, sneaks food, and is torn between each culture's food. This is a memoir of a child who grows up before mixed marriage and racial and ethnic diversity are celebrated. Being a Buddhist in GR would be difficult back in the 80's. I really wonder how accepting the community would be today? This book is a Michigan Reads selection. So, I read it.