“The Best We Could Do” is an illustrated book that is also a memoir about the author’s life, her parents, and their migration to America to escape the Vietnam War. The memoir was inspired by the conversations the author had with her parents for her college paper, the importance of which she decided needed to be shared with the world.
It centers around one family escaping the horrors of the Vietnam War, the difficult decision to leave one’s home behind for the sake of the family, and start a new life filled with uncertainties. The main theme of the book is the theme of the struggles of leaving one's home, building a life in a complete unknown environment.
This text explores the sacrifices of parenthood, familial love and the meaning of it. It gives a first-person perspective on the Vietnam War, and the differences between experiences dependent on age, gender, class, giving the voice to those who actually experienced the struggle.
