One of the projects I’m hoping to finish in this time of social distancing is putting together my family tree, something started a long time ago thanks to a Christmas gift of an membership. In what Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Viet Thanh Nguyen calls “a book to break your heart and heal it,” The Best We Could Do brings to life Thi Bui’s journey of understanding, and provides inspiration to all of those who search for a better future while longing for a simpler past. With haunting, poetic writing and breathtaking art, she examines the strength of family, the importance of identity, and the meaning of home. Despite how impossible it seems to take on the simultaneous roles of both parent and child, Bui pushes through.

At the heart of Bui’s story is a universal struggle: While adjusting to life as a first-time mother, she ultimately discovers what it means to be a parent-the endless sacrifices, the unnoticed gestures, and the depths of unspoken love. Exploring the anguish of immigration and the lasting effects that displacement has on a child and her family, Bui documents the story of her family’s daring escape after the fall of South Vietnam in the 1970s, and the difficulties they faced building new lives for themselves.

Written and Illustrated by Thi Bui This beautifully illustrated and emotional story is an evocative memoir about the search for a better future and a longing for the past.

The best we could do review