Thi Bui

Now in paperback, revised and expanded to include an illustrated conversation between Thi Bui and Viet Thanh Nguyen, and an illustrated timeline.The Best We Could Do, the debut graphic novel memoir by Thi Bui, is an intimate look at one family's journey from their war-torn Vietnam to their new lives in America. 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. At the heart of Sui'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. Despite how impossible it seems to take on the simultaneous roles of both parent and child, Bui pushes through. With haunting, poetic writing and breathtaking art, she examines the strength of family, the importance of identity, and the meaning of home. 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 Sui's journey of understanding, and provides inspiration to all of those who search for a better future while longing for a simpler past.

"In Labor, Bui struggles with the very basic issues of bringing life into the world during a delivery that does not seem to be going as planned. Should she induce labor and have an epidural and succumb to the doctors wishes for many seemingly invasive procedures or try to wait it out? Bui’s writing presents the stress and lack of control with a honest and personal style."

"In Backwards, Bui continues to look at Ma as both as a parent and as a woman. The reader is taken on a nonlinear trip back in time through the birth of the author’s brothers and sisters, some of whom survive and others that don’t. Her parents, depicted as young and stylish Vietnamese at the beginning of their family journey, deal with a world that is changing emotionally within them and politically in front of them."

Ten outstanding immigration stories from students of Oakland International High School

39 heartbreaking stories of farewells and new beginnings, long journeys and uncertain futures. This anthology of comics was written and drawn by 9th and 10th graders, all recent immigrants learning English at an Oakland public school.