Reviews

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui

piapaya's review against another edition

5.0

Over the past few years, I've read a lot of books that were profound, evocative, and embedded themselves in me emotionally (most recently it was "Between the World and Me"). But this book actually made me cry, like ugly-cry. This book is beautifully illustrated (it recalls the style of "Blankets" by Craig Thompson), a bit sparse stylistically for its own effect. It touches on the darkest parts of what it means to survive, not just as an immigrant, but from our own trauma, experienced or passed down to the next generation. It speaks of redemptions, but carefully navigates that line of profundity without overwrought sentimentalism. I would lend this book to everyone if I wasn't afraid of never getting it back.

caookie's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

iancarpenter's review against another edition

4.0

Beautifully done. A depth and detail of information I didn't crave about the history of Vietnam but the personal in this story is deeply effecting and left me thinking a lot about my family and what we inherit from our parents and those that came before us.

bridnich's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

4.25

bookspizza's review

3.0

3.5 stars

bookish_by_elle's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

The tiniest thing stuck with me throughout reading this book. I like how, in the preface, the author explained the evolution of the book's title:
In 2011, while I was reorganizing my life so that my aging. parents could be more involved in it, I realized that the book was about parents and children and it became The Best We Could Do.

yopoydan_kirjat's review

3.0

Sarjakuvamuotoinen muistelmateos erään perheen historiasta Vietnamin sodassa ja sen jälkeen, sekä muutosta Yhdysvaltoihin.

Tässä on paljon samaa kuin muissa sarjakuvamuistelmissa, joita olen lukenut, ja sanon jälleen kerran: tätäkään en tiennyt maailman historiasta. Kannattaa lukea, jos jokin seuraavista on tuttu ja toisinpäin:

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cloudedleopard's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

3.0

jaybees's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.25

toebean5's review against another edition

5.0

This was beautiful. Kind of heart-breaking, at times, but she did such a good job at telling her family story while exploring her relationship with each of her parents. I can easily see this becoming a new classic.