The Best We Could Do

Thi Bui tells the story of her family's journey from Viet Nam to the United States, but also the journeys each of her parents and she herself take from childhood to parenthood. 

The stories here are personal and real. This is very character driven. It's the people in the story that I like most. 

I have never faced living in a war torn country, moving to a new home with a whole new culture and language. Further, I knew next to nothing about Viet Nam. Reading these stories was enlightening. The fact that these are also stories about individuals who were trying to find their ways in life with flawed parents with issues they didn't understand and trying to find their way in life is something I understand and identify with. The blend of these two journeys is a brilliant storytelling technique that makes for more than just learning about someone. It is an intimate look into another person's life that makes them less a random stranger and more of a real person I can identify with and respect.