The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir
- Downloads：7600
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-09 07:53:15
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Thi Bui
- ISBN：1419718789
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Now in paperback， revised and expanded to include an illustrated conversation between Thi Bui and Viet Thanh Nguyen， and an illustrated timeline。
The Best We Could Do， the debut graphic novel memoir by Thi Bui， is an intimate look at one family's journey from their war-torn Vietnam to their new lives in America。 Exploring the anguish of immigration and the lasting effects that displacement has on a child and her family， Bui documents the story of her family's daring escape after the fall of South Vietnam in the 1970s， and the difficulties they faced building new lives for themselves。 At the heart of Sui's story is a universal struggle: While adjusting to life as a first- time mother， she ultimately discovers what it means to be a parent-the endless sacrifices， the unnoticed gestures， and the depths of unspoken love。 Despite how impossible it seems to take on the simultaneous roles of both parent and child， Bui pushes through。
With haunting， poetic writing and breathtaking art， she examines the strength of family， the importance of identity， and the meaning of home。 In what Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen calls "a book to break your heart and heal it，" The Best We Could Do brings to life Thi Sui's journey of understanding， and provides inspiration to all of those who search for a better future while longing for a simpler past。
The Best We Could Do， the debut graphic novel memoir by Thi Bui， is an intimate look at one family's journey from their war-torn Vietnam to their new lives in America。 Exploring the anguish of immigration and the lasting effects that displacement has on a child and her family， Bui documents the story of her family's daring escape after the fall of South Vietnam in the 1970s， and the difficulties they faced building new lives for themselves。 At the heart of Sui's story is a universal struggle: While adjusting to life as a first- time mother， she ultimately discovers what it means to be a parent-the endless sacrifices， the unnoticed gestures， and the depths of unspoken love。 Despite how impossible it seems to take on the simultaneous roles of both parent and child， Bui pushes through。
With haunting， poetic writing and breathtaking art， she examines the strength of family， the importance of identity， and the meaning of home。 In what Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen calls "a book to break your heart and heal it，" The Best We Could Do brings to life Thi Sui's journey of understanding， and provides inspiration to all of those who search for a better future while longing for a simpler past。
Reviews
Beth
，
An American Book Award winner， The Best We Could Do was beautifully written by Thi Bui as she explored her family’s Vietnamese roots at the height of unrest in the 70s and their escape to America。 She dives into family dynamics between her & her parents as she seeks to better understand how their experiences in Vietnam shaped them into the parents she knows。 Her parents’ experiences broke my heart and I found myself feeling empathy for them despite being less than stellar parents as a result of An American Book Award winner， The Best We Could Do was beautifully written by Thi Bui as she explored her family’s Vietnamese roots at the height of unrest in the 70s and their escape to America。 She dives into family dynamics between her & her parents as she seeks to better understand how their experiences in Vietnam shaped them into the parents she knows。 Her parents’ experiences broke my heart and I found myself feeling empathy for them despite being less than stellar parents as a result of their upbringing。 In addition， this was the first graphic novel that I found myself intentionally looking at the images to help me read。 。。。more
Lita
，
Beautiful in every way。
Chelsey Payne
，
Heartbreaking & beautiful
Asteria
，
Sometimes I want to ask my parents about how they came to the US from Vietnam but then I read books like this one and bawl my eyes out。 I don’t think I’m ready to hear the reality of my parents’ history。
Karyn Buchanan
，
Thi Bui’s exploration of what it means to be a child and what it means to be a mother is a full circle of reflection。 Deeply moving it give the reader and amazing overview of Vietnam’s history and the impact it had on her， her parents， and her son。 A must read！！！
Chrys Fey
，
This is a great story about a multi-generational family and how what your parents and grandparents go through （especially if they lived during times of war and in a war-torn country） could impact later generations。 I didn’t know much about the Vietnam War and Vietnamese history。 I appreciate this graphic novel for sharing stories about people who lived these experiences。
Ris Sasaki
，
1。5 ⭐So。。。。 I didnt like it 😅Which seems kinda harsh since this is a memoir。 A deeply personal memoir。 But that still doesnt stop me from having opinions and those opinions leading me to not liking this graphic novel。 My main issues with it were （for some people） kinda superficial: the art style and the color scheme。 I fucking hate orange。 I find it an atrocious color。 It hurts my eyes to even look at it。 And the color scheme of this whole graphic novel was orange with black and some white。 Hall 1。5 ⭐So。。。。 I didnt like it 😅Which seems kinda harsh since this is a memoir。 A deeply personal memoir。 But that still doesnt stop me from having opinions and those opinions leading me to not liking this graphic novel。 My main issues with it were （for some people） kinda superficial: the art style and the color scheme。 I fucking hate orange。 I find it an atrocious color。 It hurts my eyes to even look at it。 And the color scheme of this whole graphic novel was orange with black and some white。 Halloween colors in some aspect。 Fucking hate them。 Also， I truly didnt feel connected to the story in general。 Thankfully I have some background knowledge about the vietnam war， but for those who know almost nothing about it， most of the things that happens would go way over their heads。 I didnt felt that much sympathy to Thi Bui's parents even with all the struggles they had to go through throughout their lives。 Instead of feeling like I was seeing 2 people's stories coming together， they felt like caricatures of some random vietnamese people to be completely honest。。。。If you're looking for a good piece of literature that not only explores the vietnam war but also brings insight of what it was like for vietnamese people living and trying to survive there at that time I highly reccomend The Mountain Sings。 But unfortunately The Best We could do was a big miss for me。 。。。more
lia
，
quite boring and i did not vibe with the art style
Amiee （ambooklife）
，
I am not sure how to review this other than beautiful！ The art was great and the story was heartfelt。 My only issue was it kinda fizzled out at the end， but overall very good and highly recommend！
Elizabeth
，
This auto-biographical graphic novel is Thi Bui’s attempt to reconcile her own feelings of being a new mom with her family history and the decisions her parents made to escape Vietnam in the 1970s during the war and ongoing conflict in Vietnam。 She explores this history through her comic-style art and through oral histories shared to her from her parents and siblings。 I read through this book in one day。 It is amazing。 The graphic novel adds a different element in sharing the story， it makes it This auto-biographical graphic novel is Thi Bui’s attempt to reconcile her own feelings of being a new mom with her family history and the decisions her parents made to escape Vietnam in the 1970s during the war and ongoing conflict in Vietnam。 She explores this history through her comic-style art and through oral histories shared to her from her parents and siblings。 I read through this book in one day。 It is amazing。 The graphic novel adds a different element in sharing the story， it makes it accessible， and allows Thi to explore her own feelings of inadequacy of being a mom。 It was a prime time for me to read as I will be giving birth sometime in the next month。 It gives me room to explore these feelings for myself as well。 。。。more
Ariel
，
Wow。 Just wow。 My first graphic novel and I cried through it。 On the cover of my copy， Viet Thanh Nguyen said， "A book to break your heart and heal it。" That about captures what I'm too speechless to say。 Wow。 Just wow。 My first graphic novel and I cried through it。 On the cover of my copy， Viet Thanh Nguyen said， "A book to break your heart and heal it。" That about captures what I'm too speechless to say。 。。。more
Leslie
，
Loved the illustrations and the relationship between parents and children。 This shows how childhood trauma effects future generations。 Well done！
Zahirah
，
how she was able to dig so many stories about her family from a silent father is admirable。 and the result is well worth it。
daisy van zeyl
，
i really love this book。 the colors， the story， everything about it is so powerful。 i got to see the author talk at the library and read some excerpts out loud a few years back and was very powerful。
Kristie
，
A thoughtful look at parenthood， childhood， and intergenerational trauma。 It really makes you appreciate basic privileges， as Bui's parents， living in war-torn Vietnam， struggled to get by every day。 At first the book seemed like it was going to be a typical story of being a child of immigrants， caught between two worlds， but it eventually opened up into something much deeper and far more engrossing。 This was more a memoir of the author's parents -- how they came from such different worlds but s A thoughtful look at parenthood， childhood， and intergenerational trauma。 It really makes you appreciate basic privileges， as Bui's parents， living in war-torn Vietnam， struggled to get by every day。 At first the book seemed like it was going to be a typical story of being a child of immigrants， caught between two worlds， but it eventually opened up into something much deeper and far more engrossing。 This was more a memoir of the author's parents -- how they came from such different worlds but struggled together to carve out a life in Communist Saigon， their harrowing journey to Malaysia as refugees， their resettlement in America， how their trauma influenced their children's upbringing。 It was completely captivating to read about post-war Vietnam through her parents' life stories。 And it made sense to talk mostly about her parents， since she feels her life， and now her son's， is inextricably tied with theirs。 I didn't always like the art style but I appreciate all the hard work that went into creating it。 There were moments that were incredibly powerful because the narrative and graphics melded so well together。While I read I couldn't help but see the parallels between then and now， the plight of Afghan refugees leaving behind a homeland that will never be the same。 Definitely pick up this book to understand refugees and immigrants better。 。。。more
Bruce
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Love learning more about Vietnam and the history of the country and its people through the eyes of the author and her family。 Moving tale of the struggles the previous generation went through to get here and invisible scars that influenced their lives since。 I don't think Chinese culture is that far off from Thi's experience but also to know her parents went through such terribly scary times in Vietnam fearing for their lives。 Us Asian Americans are so lucky in some ways， but also being around t Love learning more about Vietnam and the history of the country and its people through the eyes of the author and her family。 Moving tale of the struggles the previous generation went through to get here and invisible scars that influenced their lives since。 I don't think Chinese culture is that far off from Thi's experience but also to know her parents went through such terribly scary times in Vietnam fearing for their lives。 Us Asian Americans are so lucky in some ways， but also being around the same age I know the trauma that we inherited。 Ends on a hopeful note that we don't pass on the trauma and provide freedom for the next generation after us。It's so crazy to think about war （thinking also of what is happening in Afghanistan currently） and how people are willing to kill and fight for causes just out of hatred for other people。 Seems like we should be further along in our society than that。 We have more global crises facing us like climate change than to have power struggles。 So much pain inflicted by the egos of a few。 。。。more
Lee-Arng
，
Best thing I've read in 2021。 Best thing I've read in 2021。 。。。more
Assad Safiullah
，
This one deserves a review。 I wanted to read something about Vietnam’s history through the land of “everyday life”。 This gave me exactly that。 A lot of parallels to be drawn with my own South Asian culture and still a lot different。 All-in-all this was an engaging read and a very honest telling of an immigrant story with the backdrop of the horrors of war， loss and displacement。
Degenerate Chemist
，
As author Thi Bui gives birth to her first born son she contemplates her family history and the legacy she has inherited from both of her parents。 This is a gorgeous graphic novel。 It tells an amazing story of parents and children。 It is a story of sacrifice and survival。 Heartbreaking and beautiful this one is a must read。
Susan Haines
，
Beautiful and well-crafted。 I'm really glad for this book's lengthiness， though I know it added many years in the making。 It gave me time to get to know their characters and understand their motivations。 There are no quick characterizations here。 I got a better understanding of Vietnam， the US involvement there， but most importantly to get to know a family， one not that different from mine in many ways。 Beautiful and well-crafted。 I'm really glad for this book's lengthiness， though I know it added many years in the making。 It gave me time to get to know their characters and understand their motivations。 There are no quick characterizations here。 I got a better understanding of Vietnam， the US involvement there， but most importantly to get to know a family， one not that different from mine in many ways。 。。。more
Leah W
，
A beautiful and haunting telling of the author’s family history， and the graphic novel format works really well to communicate the emotions and atmosphere of Bui’s life stories。 I felt at times that the timeline was a little too disjointed - I kept flipping back and forth to make sure I was understanding correctly。 I also wanted to know more about her relationship with her mom and what made parts of it so painful。 Nonetheless a unique read with a deeply personal perspective on geopolitical event A beautiful and haunting telling of the author’s family history， and the graphic novel format works really well to communicate the emotions and atmosphere of Bui’s life stories。 I felt at times that the timeline was a little too disjointed - I kept flipping back and forth to make sure I was understanding correctly。 I also wanted to know more about her relationship with her mom and what made parts of it so painful。 Nonetheless a unique read with a deeply personal perspective on geopolitical events in 20th century Vietnam。 。。。more
Sans Washington
，
This graphic novel continues to resonate with me。
Dede
，
I really enjoyed this book。 Going along with them on their journey！ I would definitely recommend this book！！
noor
，
4。5 | in the blurbs’ words: “a book to break your heart and heal it。”
Kim Armstrong Silcox
，
I am not usually interested in graphic novels but I am using this book with students as part of NEA Big Read project so I read it。 It is amazingly powerful and poignant。 The story tells of the author's family's life in Viet Nam， their flight after the fall of Saigon in 1975， and their resettlement in the U。S。 Intertwined is the story of childbirth， the uncertainty of new mothers and trying to understand your own parents。 An amazing book。 I am not usually interested in graphic novels but I am using this book with students as part of NEA Big Read project so I read it。 It is amazingly powerful and poignant。 The story tells of the author's family's life in Viet Nam， their flight after the fall of Saigon in 1975， and their resettlement in the U。S。 Intertwined is the story of childbirth， the uncertainty of new mothers and trying to understand your own parents。 An amazing book。 。。。more
Aamna
，
Nobody told me graphic memoirs were equally meaningful as reading words。Some of you may know that I’ve found an increased liking towards real-life stories， experiences that are different or similar to my lifestyle which helps me put myself in their shoes。𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘞𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘋𝘰 popped on my screen while going through an article and I took the plunge to get my first graphic memoir。Result？ There’s no turning back。Following one’s footsteps through illustrations showed multiple layers of emotions that Nobody told me graphic memoirs were equally meaningful as reading words。Some of you may know that I’ve found an increased liking towards real-life stories， experiences that are different or similar to my lifestyle which helps me put myself in their shoes。𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘞𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘋𝘰 popped on my screen while going through an article and I took the plunge to get my first graphic memoir。Result？ There’s no turning back。Following one’s footsteps through illustrations showed multiple layers of emotions that I might have overlooked otherwise。Bui was born three months before the end of the Vietnam War。 Her parents decided to escape after the fall of South Vietnam and start afresh in America， in the hope of a better future for Thi and her three siblings。Dipped in watercolours of reddish-orange， this memoir is heartbreakingly beautiful， funny in parts and traces her parents’ history， ugly sacrifices made that internally changed them and influenced their parenthood。A thoughtful story for when you’re looking to start reading memoirs。 。。。more
Lucy
，
3 1/2 stars。 A memoir in graphic form。 Thi Bui was born in Viet Nam。 Her family escaped by boat， and eventually arrived in the U。S。 as refugees。 The book is a moving description of what life was like for her family before， during， and after the Viet Nam war。 Because of the graphic format of the book there’s a limit to how much detail is provided， hence my somewhat low score。 But it’s such a quick read that it’s still worthwhile， to get a better appreciation of what it can be like to live through 3 1/2 stars。 A memoir in graphic form。 Thi Bui was born in Viet Nam。 Her family escaped by boat， and eventually arrived in the U。S。 as refugees。 The book is a moving description of what life was like for her family before， during， and after the Viet Nam war。 Because of the graphic format of the book there’s a limit to how much detail is provided， hence my somewhat low score。 But it’s such a quick read that it’s still worthwhile， to get a better appreciation of what it can be like to live through a war trying to survive and protect your family。 。。。more
Erin Kowal
，
A reflective graphic novel about motherhood。 Unlike Bechdel’s （which I read earlier this spring）， this author is also a mother。 Beautifully drawn。 Accessible history。 Hints at intergenerational trauma。 Hopeful。
J
，
Very moving and emotionally complex， and the art was beautiful。 The storytelling was sometimes a little more fragmentary than I would have liked。
Christine Henry Andresen
，