'Stealing Buddha's Dinner' a Must-Read at One Michigan Law Firm
Stealing Buddha’s Dinner probably isn’t a book you’d expect to see on the desks of most lawyers.
But it’s a common sight at one 200-attorney Michigan law firm that has launched a “one book, one firm” reading group. Overseen by Rodney Martin, a partner at Warner Norcross & Judd who directs the firm’s diversity program, the group reads the same book and then discusses it, explains the Grand Rapids Press.
Although the program is voluntary, about half of the firm’s 400 lawyers and staff read Stealing Buddha’s Dinner, according to the newspaper. Related firm events included not only a panel discussion but a luncheon featuring Vietnamese food.
The 256-page memoir by Vietnamese refugee Bich Minh Nguyen offers insights into what it was like trying to assimilate in a strange land where everyone looked, spoke and behaved differently than what she was used to.
“Most people don’t have experience outside the workplace or their social circles or their church with people who are different from themselves,” says Martin, explaining why the book is part of the firm’s diversity program. “So you have to help people understand others.”
