Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

16 reviews

lprongs's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Death, Miscarriage, and War

Minor: Xenophobia, Vomit, Racial slurs, and Racism

kirkspockreads's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Gun violence, War, Violence, and Miscarriage

Moderate: Racial slurs, Murder, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Abandonment, Abortion, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Grief, Racism, and Pregnancy

cecilie_who_reads's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, Death, War, Miscarriage, and Abandonment

Minor: Mental illness, Mass/school shootings, Drug use, Vomit, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs

Starvation, persecution, and hiding alone in the darkness in small spaces are also part of the story. Read it, but hold someone's hand.

caprivoyant's review

Tender and full of all sorts of flavors of familial love. 🩷

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Pregnancy, Medical content, War, Child death, and Racial slurs

Minor: Xenophobia and Alcoholism

careinthelibrary's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative slow-paced

I'm in the minority for not loving this! It didn't work for me, something about the jumping through time and character meant I never sank into the narrative of their lives fully before we were ripped away. Maybe that's the impression the author wanted to leave the reader with, I'm not sure. I'll seek out other books on this period of history! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Medical content, War, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Gun violence, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Mental illness, Racism, Domestic abuse, and Murder

ka_cam's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

4.5

A moving reflection on family and the relationships between parents and children and people and time/place. Thi Bui addresses heavy topics with sensitivity and compassion for subjects. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Death, War, and Child death

Moderate: Sexual violence, Racial slurs, and Domestic abuse

bookbuyingwithkatie's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Suicide attempt, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, War, Death, Child abuse, and Infidelity

gabriellesimpson's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War

Moderate: Miscarriage and Pregnancy

Minor: Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Colonisation, and Death of parent

booksandboba's review

emotional informative reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Child death, War, Pregnancy, Death, Genocide, and Mental illness

Moderate: Blood, Colonisation, Classism, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Racial slurs, Racism, and Physical abuse

Minor: Alcohol

therainbowshelf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

A gorgeous artwork reflecting on lives torn apart by war. Thi Bui examines how war and political upheaval impacted her parents throughout their whole lives, shows her family’s harrowing escape from communist forces in Vietnam, and recounts the struggles they faced as refugees in America. Content warnings for war, death, child and infant death, difficult pregnancy, PTSD, racism, and other difficult content.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Death, Child death, Colonisation, Grief, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, War, Xenophobia, Child abuse, and Pregnancy

Minor: Abortion

Refugee struggles, stillborn infant