Reviews tagging 'Violence'

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

44 reviews

njh_books's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

Artwork is great.

The events flip back and forth between different time periods and adds to the story as Bui learns more about her parents’ and her own past while also trying to determine what it means for her present. 

Heartbreaking but also hopeful. The last scene with the son is truly thought provoking and beautiful.


My knowledge of Vietnam improved with this story as often events were discussed that I then looked into on my own.

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koreanlinda's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense fast-paced

4.25

I felt lots of pain by reading this book. The book is ridden with violence that Thi's family experienced in Vietnam. Thi's mother is the one who gets lots of focus for her pain from repeated miscarriages as well as pregnancies and deliveries during the war. Although the story and graphics are compelling, I could not shed so many "whys" while reading it. Why did Thi's mother keep getting pregnant in environments where it's dangerous for the mother and baby? Why did Thi's father not take care of his children in the absence of Thi's mother? It is hard to blame anyone in the story because they are all victims of extremely traumatic experiences; however, I couldn't help but feel resentful for adults with responsibilities.

I learned a lot about what Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans went through in the last few generations. I recommend coupling this book with Year of the Rabbit by Tian Veasna, which talks about a painful part of Cambodian history around a similar time as this book. 

Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in Feb 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda


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caoxtina's review

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0


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kirkspockreads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0


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cecilie_who_reads's review

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dark informative reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

A story of survival, endurance and plans thwarted by the casual arrogance of several warring parties, told without self pity and in neutral tones. This graphic chronicle follows tells and shows the stories of Thi Bui's parents. As for the emotions, it tells about Thi Bui's reactions to this, but does not beg the reader to feel the same way.
But her parents as children and young people are so well conveyed that you feel it could be you. The lack of safety, the repeated chock of having all plans overturned, sneaks in on you in your armchair. It invites the reader (and, as Thi Bui says, her own self too) to renewed respect for the survivors, even those that spend their days in a dark room, grumpy and unapproachable for apparently no reason.



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moon_dude's review

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

The illustration is so beautiful! Wonderfully composed, and a thoughtful exploration of what it means to be a parent, especially within the context of trauma and war.

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odetojersey's review

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dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

4.0


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alixsbooktherapy's review

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense medium-paced

4.5

Bo was a lazy  dad who didnt really care for his kids he smoked most of the time and let the kids cry
Bo cheated on his wife while the kids were in the house they saw the women naked and had lots of questions 
Thi used to get weird calls from creepy men saying really inappropate things to her as a kid she  used to read her dads paraphernalia memorizing all the pictures
The kids childhoods weren't your average childhoods they watched the exorcis at 5 years old (definitely  not a movie for kids)

I hate that we go into the "to understand  how my father became the way he was I had to learn what happend  to him as a little boy" that's no excuse for what he did. Or how he wasn't a good dad

We learn alot about the past and how growing  up back then is 10x different  then it is now 
Bo was raised in the jungle at the time in 1940 during the world war 2
Bos dad cheated on his mom with the neighbor at the end of the street and when  she asked about it she was screamed at
Bo watched one night as his father beat his mother badly and threw her out of the house in 1945 at the height of the famine

Her mom hit the kids and the servants 
Back in these times kids were forced to work  if you didn't work then you were seen as lazy

Bos grandfather had cheated on his grandma, the fight escalted into her falling and cutting open her head on the door which Bo had to take her to the hostipal the next Day Bos grandma  left Bos grandfather his grandfather when they arrives in sài gón tried to  ask bos grandma "let's make a new home together " after what he did to her thankfully she said "no I don't need you" so fricken proud of her but sooner then later the diêms forces ended up fighting with others and it led to Bos grandmothers doorstep making her lose her securites and more scared of violence she agreed to go back to her cheating husband

"And there in 1962 I met your mother"
Thi's mom "besides the very first year, I met Bo and that was it he just monopolized me, it was like I was married from the very first year of college'

It was wholesome that Bo and thi's  mom after they lost their first kid remembered  the movie they went to and the place they both wanted to go, it became a place they went for a time to forget but also a brief honeymoon  period 

This book was so beautiful  we got to learn about Thi's  parents and her journey as a mom
When thi had her baby they ended up with jaundice so her and her partner were only allowed to see their kid for 20 minutes enough time to feed him then go back sleep  for 90 minutes and do it again
The nurse when thi's  baby was allowed to go home helped Thi  breastfeed her baby as it didn't work the first try and it successfully worked

"To accidentally  call myself mẹ was to slip myself  into her shoes just for a moment"
"To let her be not what I want her to be but someone independent, self- determining, and free,means  letting  go of that picture of her in my head."

"What becomes of us after we die? Do we live on in what we leave our children?"

This book is a must read and I mean it this was a book that broke my heart then healed it again this was so beautiful  thank you to Thi Bui for writing this beautiful  book!

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distractible's review

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

3.75


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readwithev's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

Bui is poetic and lyrical. The voice bubbles are not too full and crowded; you get all the information and emotion for the scene. I love the water color painting, ink, pen, paper texture, etc art style. The white, crème, black, and red with only blue at the beginning and end elevated some scenes with blood, explosions, clothing etc.
Bui talks about how challenging it was to get to know her parents, but she uncovers their origins and begins separating her expectations of them. It felt very healing and vulnerable. Bui delves into her childhood and the things she’s still healing from and beginning to see in differently now that she’s a parent.

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