This book was very well written. It causes us to question whether in our never ending search to "fit in" somewhere, we are missing what really matters in life. My favorite parts were the way her grandmother kept traditions going, no mater where they were or what was going on in the world. She was the constant. I hope the author can continue some of these traditions.

I think we all have, some time in our life, struggled with where we fit in. I am glad the author has shared with us here struggle. This book is excellant for a group study because there are many things anyone reading may identify with at some time in there life.

Although each chapter is titled with something about food and food is a main theme throughout the book, the book is much more than a reflection of food. We found layers of much more, any immigrants struggle to find their place in a new country, and how we relate all of our feelings and places to the food that is or was consumed there. We remember how certain foods made us "fit in" especially during our teenage years. Fitting in was a key issue in this book, as someone who does not look like the majority of the population, she wanted so badly to fit in or in a lot of cases to become invisible. Grandma Noi was so comfortable in who she was, she never faltered, and because of this, she kept the family anchored and rich in traditions that they have chosen to carry on with the next generation. Our book club was fortunate to visit with the author, who gave us additional insights into her book.

Our group found quite a lot to talk about in this account of a Vietnamese refugee family who found themselves transplanted among the mostly Dutch residents of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although many sections of the book were repetitive and worked too hard at driving home the point of just how different Bich felt as she was growing up, we were interested in her experiences, and how the other members of her family integrated themselves into American society--or not! We wished that it had been in chronological order--the jumping around in time was disconcerting. We agreed that if Bich's family had immigrated in 2009, their experience would be quite different. Even Grand Rapids is much more diverse than it was 30 years ago!