American Book Awards
1 appearances
-
Edition 31 (2010) Winner
Beth Minh Nguyen
ベス・ミン・グエン
Beth Minh Nguyen
Aliases:
Bich Minh Nguyen / Beth Nguyen
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1974-01-01 （Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam）
- Nationality
- American
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Ho Chi Minh City (birth) → Guam (refugee camp) → Fort Chaffee (refugee camp), Arkansas → Grand Rapids, Michigan → Madison, Wisconsin (residence/employment)
Career
- Occupations
- novelist, nonfiction writer, professor
- Active Years
- 2000-
- Affiliations
- Purdue University (faculty), University of San Francisco (faculty), University of Wisconsin–Madison (professor)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Michigan | — | — | MFA | — | United States |
University of Michigan
Degree:
MFA
Country:
United States
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | American Book Award | Short Girls | — | Before Columbus Foundation | 受賞 |
| 2005 | PEN/Jerard Award | Stealing Buddha's Dinner | — | PEN America | 受賞 |
American Book Award
2010
Work:
Short Girls
Organization:
Before Columbus Foundation
Result:
受賞
PEN/Jerard Award
2005
Work:
Stealing Buddha's Dinner
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Stealing Buddha's Dinner
2008 memoir / nonfictionA memoir of growing up as a Vietnamese-American, focusing on childhood, food, family and the immigrant experience; explores identity and memory through food.
immigrationfamilyfood cultureidentity
Short Girls
2009 novelA novel depicting Vietnamese-American women across generations, addressing family relationships, cultural expectations, and self-discovery.
generational differencescultural expectationsfamily
Pioneer Girl
2014 novelA novel that deals with family history and the effects of migration, interweaving past and present as the protagonist seeks roots and self-understanding.
rootsmemorymigration history
Owner of a Lonely Heart: A Memoir
2023 memoir / nonfictionA recent memoir exploring personal relationships, loneliness, and maturation; recounts changes in the author's private life and emotions.
lonelinessmaturationrelationships
Bibliography
- Stealing Buddha's Dinner
- Short Girls: A Novel
- Pioneer Girl: A Novel
- Owner of a Lonely Heart: A Memoir
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- memoir-like intimate narrationdetailed descriptions linking memory and food
- Recurring Motifs
- foodfamily memoriesimmigrant experiencesearch for identity
Legacy
Known for works depicting Vietnamese-American experiences, contributing to Asian American literature and the memoir genre; as a university professor she has influenced emerging writers.
In Popular Culture
- Participated in public talks/events such as 'Great Michigan Read'
Trivia
- Born Bich Minh Nguyen; later began using the preferred name Beth.
- Fled Vietnam with family in 1975, stayed in refugee camps in Guam and Fort Chaffee, then settled in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- Married novelist Porter Shreve in 2002; later divorced (publicly stated in 2023).
- Won the PEN/Jerard Award for Stealing Buddha's Dinner and the 2010 American Book Award for Short Girls.