The Best We Could Do

By Thi Bui,

Book cover of The Best We Could Do

Book description

National bestseller
2017 National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Finalist
ABA Indies Introduce Winter / Spring 2017 Selection
Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Spring 2017 Selection
ALA 2018 Notable Books Selection

An intimate and poignant graphic novel portraying one family's journey from war-torn Vietnam, from debut author Thi Bui.…

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Why read it?

3 authors picked The Best We Could Do as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This graphic novel is gorgeous. It covers the story of a girl whose family has to escape Vietnam during the Fall of Saigon and make a new life in the United States.

The illustrations are beautiful, but the story is also beautifully told, showing the ways in which migration can affect family dynamics. It is about memory, sacrifice, trauma, and hope. It’s also a coming-of-age story. While there are a lot of great graphic novels about migration, this one is my favorite.

From Rebecca's list on really understand global migration.

Thi Bui's graphic memoir offers a touching and visually stunning account of her family's journey from Vietnam to the United States. I was captivated by how she intertwines her personal story with historical context, providing a deep understanding of the refugee experience and its generational impacts.

The book's emotional depth and beautiful illustrations make it a profound exploration of family, trauma, and resilience.

This is a superb personal memoir about the Vietnam War and its impact on four generations of one South Vietnamese family. Unlike the legion of memoirs told from the U.S. perspective, Vietnam-born American author Thi Bui gives us the harrowing local view. By compressing her sprawling story into a tight, gripping, intimate tale, she demonstrates the storytelling power of the graphic-novel form. Here hope triumphs and tragedy is merely a runner-up. 

From Conrad's list on memoir-based graphic novels.

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