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A review by _mery98_
The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
This is by far the best book I have read this year! A compelling book!
The story told here is one of family, especially the connection of past generations to future generations. A main theme is whether we can fully understand our parents and come to terms with their lives as well as what we inherit from them.
The author's family came to the United States as refugees from Vietnam, and so another main theme is what it means to be a refugee and an immigrant, and how that affects your sense of home, belonging, and family.
The author skips back and forth between the birth of her own son, growing up as an immigrant in the US, and her family's past in Vietnam (her mother's story and her father's story are each told, as is the story of how they met), fleeing from Vietnam and ties each of these strands back to where the family is now and who the family members are now. Very thoughtful about the impact of our family's past on our lives, learning to let go and remember that we are finite.
The story told here is one of family, especially the connection of past generations to future generations. A main theme is whether we can fully understand our parents and come to terms with their lives as well as what we inherit from them.
The author's family came to the United States as refugees from Vietnam, and so another main theme is what it means to be a refugee and an immigrant, and how that affects your sense of home, belonging, and family.
The author skips back and forth between the birth of her own son, growing up as an immigrant in the US, and her family's past in Vietnam (her mother's story and her father's story are each told, as is the story of how they met), fleeing from Vietnam and ties each of these strands back to where the family is now and who the family members are now. Very thoughtful about the impact of our family's past on our lives, learning to let go and remember that we are finite.