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Yiddish Book Center "Stories of Exile" Discussion

"The Best We Could Do" by Thi Bui

Join us for a special discussion of "The Best We Could Do" by Thi Bui, a graphic novel about a family's journey to America. Discussion made possible by the Yiddish Book Center.

Register online, in person, or by phone at 330.724.2126. Those who are registered for the reading group will receive a copy of "The Best We Could Do" to read and return to the Library after the book discussion.

The Akron-Summit County Public Library has been selected as a participating library for the Yiddish Book Center's "Stories of Exile" Reading Groups for Public Libraries for 2023.

At this event in the series, we will discuss "The Best We Could Do" by Thi Bui.

Book summary:

An intimate and poignant graphic novel portraying one family's journey from war-torn Vietnam, from debut author 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. 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 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. 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 Bui's journey of understanding, and provides inspiration to all of those who search for a better future while longing for a simpler past.

About the Stories of Exile Series:

The Yiddish Book Center’s “Stories of Exile” Reading Groups for Public Libraries is a reading and discussion program to engage teens and adults in thinking about experiences of displacement, migration, and diaspora. In this program, librarians organize reading groups to discuss three books of Yiddish literature in translation, and one book related to the experience of a community served by their library. 
 
The Yiddish Book Center’s “Stories of Exile” Reading Groups for Public Libraries is made possible by a gift from Sharon Karmazin.

Programs in the series include:

Book Discussion: "The Best We Could Do" by Thi Bui (Graphic Novel)

Firestone Park Branch Library

Thursday, September 7, 6:30 pm 

Book Discussion: "In the Land of the Postscript: Short Stories" by Chava Rosenfarb

North Hill Branch Library 

Monday, October 2, 12:30 pm

Book Discussion: “The Glatstein Chronicles” by Jacob Glatstein, a restored English edition originally translated from Yiddish

Northwest Akron Branch 

Monday, October 18, 6 pm

Book Discussion: “On the Landing: Stories” by Yenta Mash

Main Library (Meeting Room 1)

Wednesday, November 1, 6:30 pm

Main Event: Many Voices With Yiyun Li

Main Library (Auditorium)

Monday, November 6, 6:30 pm

Immigrant Perspectives on Film

Main Library (Auditorium)

Thursdays, September 7, 14, 21, 28, 6:30 pm

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