The Best We Could Do

Reader fitReaders who appreciate graphic memoirs that mix history and family intimacy.

What it’s about

Through a sequence of illustrated chapters and reflective sections, the author traces her parents’ lives in Vietnam, their escape after the fall of South Vietnam, and the family’s resettlement in the United States. Interwoven with those past accounts are the author’s present-day experiences becoming a parent, which complicate how she understands inherited trauma, sacrifice, and identity.

Sibyl’s take

Chapters alternate between historical recollection and present-day reflection, using hand-drawn sequences to slow attention and let memory linger on faces, rooms, and small gestures. The voice is candid and self-questioning; images carry much of the book's emotional weight, shifting tone from documentary detail to intimate interior moments. Pacing is measured: some sections feel meditative, others carry the compressed urgency of escape scenes. Readers who value visual narrative and careful emotional excavation will find this rewarding; those seeking plot-driven action or brisk momentum may notice long, contemplative stretches. One caveat: the memoir's strength lies in its accumulation of small domestic and psychological details rather than in sweeping historical overview.

Taste profile

Themes:

Refugee ExperienceFamily HistoryParenthoodMemoryVietnam WarMigrationIntergenerational TraumaFamily Reconciliation

Mood:

QuietTenderUneasyReflective

Pace:

Varied

Style:

VisualIntimateConfessionalDocumentary Leaning

Who it fits

Good fit if

Readers who appreciate graphic memoirs that mix history and family intimacy.
People interested in refugee and immigrant life across generations.
Those who prefer emotionally reflective, image-driven storytelling.
Readers curious about parent–child relationships shaped by war and migration.

Think twice if

If you want fast-paced, plot-focused narratives, this measured memoir may feel slow.
Readers who prefer text-heavy books with minimal visual storytelling might find the illustrated format less comfortable.

Get this book

Customize sources

Buy

Bookshop.org Amazon Books Books-A-Million AbeBooks Libro.fm Apple Books

Sibyl may earn a commission from some purchase links; Sibyl does not add a separate fee. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Research

Goodreads Reddit Wikipedia book page Open Library

About the author

Thi Bui is a Vietnam-born American graphic novelist and illustrator celebrated for intimate, vividly drawn memoirs that explore family, migration, and memory. Best known for The Best We Could Do, her work blends documentary detail with lyrical, humane storytelling, inviting readers into personal histories and intergenerational experience. Bui’s pages often feel patient and reflective, balancing hardship with resilience as she renders complex relationships and cultural identity. Through a distinctive visual voice—precise linework, expressive figures, and thoughtful pacing—she crafts narratives that linger, inviting empathy and deeper consideration of roots, belonging, and the choices that shape a life.

Conversation

Conversation starters

How does learning a parent’s past change your empathy and expectations for them?
What does the memoir’s use of images add to the narration compared with a text-only account?
In what ways do small domestic scenes shape our sense of historical events in the book?

What it connects to

Graphic memoir readers who value family and memory-driven narratives.
Books about migration that focus on intimate, intergenerational consequences.
Works that use visual storytelling to look closely at trauma and parenthood.