Recently I read a memoir that was completely different from any other memoir I’d ever read; it was a memoir written like a graphic model.
Thi Bui’s The Best We Could Do is an illustrated memoir that examines her relationship with her mother and father, both immigrants from South Vietnam. It was lovely, engaging, and unique.
Here are three things I enjoyed most about it:
- The history. This book detailed a little-known history of the Vietnam War: that of mothers and fathers and families. In sharing her parents’ beginnings, Bui shed light on where her parents came from and how that shaped who they were.
- The sentiment. It was embodied in the title: the best we could do. Bui acknowledged that her parents made mistakes in raising her and her siblings, but she wrote from the perspective of a parent herself, a perspective that said she understood their mistakes, forgave them, and appreciated who she had become because of them.
- The pictures. This was the first time I had read an illustrated memoir, and I really enjoyed it. Bui provided the right balance between pictures and text, and it made for a fantastic and fast read.
I am so glad I picked up this book, and I’m hoping that Bui will do more books like it.
The above is an affiliate link. I only recommend books that I personally enjoy. I actually don’t even talk about the books I don’t enjoy, because I’d rather forget I ever wasted time reading them. But if you’re ever curious whether I’ve read a book and whether I liked or disliked it, don’t hesitate to ask.
