Reviews with content warning for Violence - The Best We Could Do

I read this for my Graphic Novels class - I’m so glad I had the excuse to analyze it in-depth. TBWCD is just stunning. So much thought, emotion, conversation, learning, and labor went into this story and it’s incredibly layered. It will stay with me for years to come.

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bookwormdystopian2's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.5

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jessjess125's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

4.0

This was a fascinating, moving read. I picked it up in a charity shop having never heard of it and I'm so glad to have found it. Thi Bui tells the story of her family in Vietnam and then the US while examining the legacy of trauma that war and displacement leave. Her family's story is poignant and heart-wrenching and her haunting illustration style and muted orange tones were very effective in portraying that. It was also really interesting to learn something about a part of history I knew very little about.

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lauravreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

Thi Bui immigrated to the states as a young girl. In her memoir, she delves into her family history and how the international political status of Vietnam affected so many citizens including her family. This is the first time I've read an illustrated memoir and it was quite the experience. Reading a comic book-style memoir brought a different element to the book that I loved. I learned so much about Vietnam, the french colonization of Vietnam, and the political divide between the north and south.

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thewordsdevourer's review

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adventurous dark reflective medium-paced

3.25

the best we could do is an informative yet interesting graphic novel, combining the personal and political, as well as the individual story against the larger backdrop of historical upheaval into a family account that reverberates w/ questions around legacy, family, and - as the title suggests - how ppl try to their best w/ their circumstances.

i personally think the structure can be a lil confusing w/ the frequent back-and-forth and the past-present transitions; there's a lot going on here after all. nevertheless, bui's placing of her familial history against the larger unfolding historical backdrop is great, providing useful context and deeper understanding. my fav thing abt this book, however, is bui's reflections on her family legacy, as well as her familiar feelings of equal gratefulness, resentment and guilt towards her parents. idk if it's simply an immigrant thing but it hits deep..

in terms of the art, i dont find it too eye-catching, not that it's unremarkable but perhaps bc it complements and flows rly well - too well - w/ the story. there's an appropriate level of detail and bui knows when to give her pages space, and the watercolor paints and lineart are nice. sometimes, however, the characters come across as unintentionally comical bc of the overly big head compared to their body; a few of the paneling can be confusing as well.

this is a good graphic novel for those who are interested in not only vietnamese history but also the human impact of its upheaval, the smaller stories of common ppl against the backdrop of historic change.

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