Bento Box in the Heartland: My Japanese Girlhood in Whitebread America: a food memoir by Linda Furiya

I must admit that I liked this adult memoir more than I thought I would. I won't be giving away copies of it for Christmas or anything, but I read in a few days. Linda Furiya is Japanese American and grew up in a small town in Indiana. This food memoir (tons of yummy Japanese recipes are included) describes her experiences growing up and how she had to adjust to being Asian in a small Midwestern town. Food is very important to her family, and so food is discussed in detail. But so is her mother's depression, internment during WWII, driving hours to find fresh fish, and the troubles she has pretending to be white as a child.

I liked this so much better than Hapa Girl. Maybe I shouldn't compare the two, but I do in my mind. In Hapa Girl, the author is 1/2 Chinese and 1/2 white and complains about the struggle she had growing up in America. I believe that Bento Box covers the same type of struggle so much better. Less whining. And I actually grew to care for the author of Bento Box.