I am usually wary when westerners write Vietnamese cookbooks and this book is the reason why. Get Mai Pham's book if you're looking for Vietnamese food. I don't know what this stuff is.

I was skeptical when I saw this book but after reading the recipes and trying many of them, I can say that, as a Vietnamese person, the recipes are truly authentic. They're what you would expect to eat if you spent time in Vietnam. Also, the sections that give historical and culinary background information are great! If you only had one Vietnamese cookbook, this would be the one.

If you have a choice, buy Netter's Atlas instead. Even if this book is required for your anatomy course, get Netter's. This Atlas was required for our medical school anatomy course and the entire class hated it.