Comments on: #55 ~ Stealing Buddha’s Dinner

By: Rhiannon

Rhiannon — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:46:06 +0000

The reason why Nguyen describes the books she enjoys in such minute detail is because they are depicting her ideal family. She wishes that her dysfunctional biracial family could be more like those that she reads in her storybooks. At least, that the conclusion I came to.

By: laudu

laudu — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 03:23:43 +0000

I might look through it the next time I’m in Schuller Books if they have it in stock. Thanks for the recommendation.

By: Literate Housewife

Literate Housewife — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:16:02 +0000

I think you might really like the first third of the book. It paints southeast Grand Rapids accurately – and I don’t believe negatively. What I saw of Berlin when I was there as an American who spoke no German other than “Ein beer bitta” (thanks, Dad, for your help there!), were not wrong. They were simply that, observations made by someone without the cultural context, etc. They may be viewed as negative to those who live there because you don’t like to have things pointed out to you that you don’t see because it’s so broke. For me, I never thought about the blonde thing because I was blonde. I didn’t notice the massive amount of similarity.

I only know Calvin College by its reputation to a person who is not CR. I have been on campus once for their January Series back in the early 90s. I can’t remember which author I saw now.

By: laudu

laudu — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 23:32:49 +0000

Very interesting review. I came to the United States in the early 1980′s and can relate to some of the experiences that you detail were referred to in this book. One of my first recollections of Calvin College was being amazed that there was this much blonde hair in one place…