Reading That Matters: Of Monkey Bridges and Banh Mi Sandwiches

Reading That Matters is a continuing series of book discussions inviting readers to meet people (through reading) who come from differing backgrounds and/or have different beliefs or experiences from their own. It is hoped that these books and their discussions of them will help to open our minds and hearts to those around us whom we might not otherwise have the opportunity to know.
Facilitator: Eileen Miller OSF

Discussion: (In person) Tuesday, November 15, 6:30-8:00 pm.
Fee: $6 per discussion does not include the book.
The deadline to register is no later than Monday, November 14.

Book 2:
Of Monkey Bridges and Banh Mi Sandwiches
By Oanh Ngo Usadi

Oanh Ngo Usadi was born in Saigon, but when she was small and in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, her family was exiled from city living in Saigon to the countryside of Vietnam, and so she grew up in an orchard in the Mekong Delta. When she was eleven, her family escaped Vietnam as part of the mass exodus of boat refugees. In 1984, they settled in a small Texan town where her father, the eternal entrepreneur, opened a banh mi sandwich shop. This quietly affecting immigrant memoir shows the strength and goodwill of these refugees. Through each traumatic transition, Oanh Ngo Usadi retains her optimism as she and her family adapt to new environments and cultures in their journey to become Americans.

The book was a finalist for the 2018 BookLife Prize awarded by Publishers Weekly. Book available at Riverlights Book Store and Amazon.