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The Best We Could Do

An Illustrated Memoir
By Thi Bui
4.35 goodreads logo

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( 39,256 ratings, 5,370 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui is a poignant graphic memoir that explores the author's journey to understanding her family's history. Through beautifully illustrated pages, it delves into her parents' challenging experiences in Vietnam, their escape to America, and the complexities of the immigrant experience. This personal narrative captures the universal themes of identity, family, and resilience.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're interested in a heartfelt, illustrated memoir exploring themes of family, identity, and the immigrant experience. It offers a moving and poignant depiction of a family's journey from Vietnam to America, capturing the complexities of intergenerational relationships and the pursuit of a better life.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Now in paperback, Thi Sui's intimate and moving portrait of her family's journey from their war-torn home in Vietnam to their new lives in America

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

"A book to break your heart and heal it." - Viet Thanh Nguyen, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sympathizer

★ 4 starred reviews from Booklist, Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, and Shelf Awareness

An ABA Indies Introduce Winter/Spring 2017 Selection

A Summer 2017 Indie Next Selection

Now in paperback, Thi Bui's critically acclaimed and beautifully illustrated story of her family's journey from their war-torn home in Vietnam to their new lives in America. Exploring the anguish of immigration and the lasting effects that displacement has on a child and family, Bui documents the difficulties immigrants face as they build new lives for themselves.

At the heart of Bui's story is a universal struggle: adjusting to life as a first-time mother. With haunting, poetic writing and breathtaking art, The Best We Could Do examines the strength of family, the importance of identity, and the meaning of home, providing inspiration to all who search for a better future while longing for a simpler past.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui has received widespread acclaim for its emotional depth and visual storytelling. Reviewers praise it as a poignant and necessary narrative that expertly captures the immigrant experience and family dynamics against the backdrop of Vietnam's history. It is highly recommended for its intimate examination of identity and its artistic portrayal of personal and historical complexities.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781419718786

Publisher: Abrams

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 17 April 2018

Country: United States

Imprint: Abrams ComicArts

Illustration: Illustrations, color

Audience: Teenage

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 166.0mm

Height: 227.0mm

Weight: 700g

Pages: 344

About the Author

Thi Bui was born in Việt Nam three months before the end of the American War and came to the United States in 1978 as part of the “boat people” wave of refugees from Southeast Asia. Her debut graphic memoir, The Best We Could Do (Abrams ComicArts, 2017), has been selected as UCLA’s Common Book for 2017, a National Book Critics Circle finalist in autobiography, an Eisner Award finalist in Reality-Based Work, and made several “best of 2017” book lists, including Bill Gates’s top five picks. Bui is also the Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator of A Different Pond, a picture book by the poet Bao Phi (Capstone, 2017). Her short comics can be found online at The Nib, Reveal News, PEN America, and BOOM California. Bui taught high school in New York City and was a founding teacher of Oakland International High School, the first public high school in California for recent immigrants and English learners. Since 2015, she has been a faculty member of the MFA in Comics program at the California College of the Arts. Bui lives in the Bay Area.

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