4.5/5

Wow! This was one of the best memoirs I have read in a long time. The author, Chantha Nguon, tells her story as a survivor of the Cambodian genocide and her life as a refugee in the decades that followed. Each part of the story is accompanied by stories of the recipes that Nguon's mother taught her, and dozens of her mother's actual recipes are included in the book.

I thought that connecting everything in the story back to food/recipes was a beautiful way to take back the narrative as well as honor the author's mother and the culture her recipes came from (and one that some tried very hard to quash). I found this choice very moving on a personal level because I am a descendant of genocide survivors, and my great-grandmother was also very passionate about using food to keep her culture and memories of home alive. It was very moving for me to read about someone else having a similar experience, then going so far as to share her family recipes with readers. I look forward to trying out some of Nguon's recipes myself — especially the green papaya pickles that sounded amazing!

I also enjoyed reading about how Nguon openly defied societal expectations for women and how throughout her entire horrific experience, she did her best to help other women who were suffering, then eventually made it her life's work to help women once she herself escaped poverty and war. Her journey with this was also very inspiring!

Overall, cannot recommend this enough!

(Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette Book Group for the ARC!)

I'm so glad I read Chantha Nguon's beautiful memoir "Slow Noodles." I loved the combination of her stories with recipes and associations. For example, she said garlic, chili and lemongrass taste like prosperity and linger, making you think you have recently eaten. Or describing how much luxuries like limes meant after her experiences with hunger.

As someone who has been privileged to visit Cambodia, including Battambang, I learned so much from this book to provide context, especially about recovery after the war. I really loved her descriptions of returning to Cambodia after the war and how it had changed. I also appreciated reading about her journey to Thailand and kindness experienced along the way. Her stories of waiting in refugee camps (such as trading on the black market for cooking oil and instant noodles) and repatriation also really capture the refugee experience more than most books. Her hopeful spirit to help improve the world, especially for women, was very encouraging. I also really appreciated the afterword from her daughter as well as her daughter's narration of the audiobook. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and Algonquin Books for the eARC.

Hearing the Authors daughter narrate this story is incredibly touching. The format of having recipes read throughout the book breakup the narrative on audio format as they are read aloud in full. I can't wait to try them but it was slightly distracting when listening.

OUCH. THE BIG OUCH. I am so thankful to Hachette Audio, Chantha Nguon, and Netgalley for granting me access to this one before publication day, February 20, 2024.