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        • Hong Kong before WW2
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        • Establishing Manchukuo
        • The Development of Unit 731
        • Plan Kantokuen and Bacteriological Warfare
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        • Three Stages of Interrogations
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      • Marutas of Unit 731 - Guide >
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        • Establishing Pingfan
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        • Operation U-Go
      • Battle of Shanghai - Guide >
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        • How World War II Complicated Food Scarcity and Invention
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        • Mixed Dishes: Culinary Innovations Driven by Necessity and Food Scarcity
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      • The Hukbalahap
      • Trading Immunity
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The Best We Could Do

8/9/2019

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by Hanna Bobrowicz
Header graphic featuring photo of Unit 731 building.
It was what we had first bonded over, my boss, co-worker, and I. It was my first day at Pacific Atrocities Education and after nervously making small talk we began listing our favorite Asian American authors. It is unclear who first mentioned Thi Bui’s Memoir, The Best We Could Do,  but the second the title was uttered we simultaneously began to gush about the story and how it impacted us.
(continued) Thi Bui released her illustrated memoir in 2017, weaving her narrative with her parents. Bui details her parent's stories of survival, the families pilgrimage from Vietnam to Berkely, California and the growing pains of living in a new country. Two years after consuming Bui’s story, what lingered in my mind was the trauma that had spread from Bui’s parents to their children, and how learning about their lives and stories allowed wounds of the past to finally heal. 

The initial conversation my co-workers and I had, spawned a summer-long discussion about intergenerational trauma within refugee and immigrant families, especially for the Vietnamese-American community.  The Best We Can Do is an essential example of living history and demonstrates the importance of learning about Vietnamese Boat people, and other refugee stories. Bui’s story reveals an unspoken truth about the American Dream; that trauma often accompanies immigrants on their journey and continues to impact them while they make a new life. In America, this struggle is compounded with racial prejudice and prevents a path for rehabilitation and stability.  Bui’s novel serves a vital memory project for American society, as it encourages all who read her words and consume her images to think about the trauma refugees and immigrants face. Two years on, The Best We Can Do, is a vital read for every American as it informs a history on the Boat people while also forcing the reader to contemplate how the United States treats its newcomers.
Picture
​The term ‘Boat People’ is a blanket term used to describe the refugees who flee their countries by boat. The Vietnamese Boat People refers to the influx of refugees who left Communist Vietnam in 1954 and throughout 1975-1992. The reasoning for each refugee varies, some were vocal capitalists, others were simply escaping dire living conditions and hoping for a better life. Whatever their reasons where, these refugees would take boats to either Southern Vietnam (while the Vietnam War was occurring) or to nearby countries such as Thailand, the Phillippines, or Malayasia. The journey, as Bui demonstrates in her book, was extremely dangerous. Pirates would routinely pillage boats stealing their valuables and sometimes taking refugees as slaves. This danger in combination with the risk of getting caught by Vietnamese police and treacherous weather conditions led to many deaths on board. Yet, Bui’s family survived and were able to then emigrate to the United States. Many Vietnamese-Americans have a similar story to Bui, after the fall of Saigon in 1975, the United States allowed certain Vietnamese refugees to emigrate. The number of migrants increased in the 1980s and 90s, allowing Bui and her family to live in America. Today, Vietnamese-Americans are the sixth-largest ‘foreign-born’ population in the United States, making stories of the Vietnamese Boat people American stories. Therefore, Bui’s narrative of intergenerational trauma and immigration must be at the forefront of American consensuses. 
PictureThe Best We Could Do By Thi Bui
The Best We Could Do is framed around the universal need for children to understand their parents. The novel begins with the birth of Bui’s son and then quickly threads throughout time, to her adolescence to Bui’s mother and father. The book is a quest to understand herself by learning about her family. She states in one chapter, ‘to understand how my father became the way he was, I had to learn what happened to him as a little boy.’ Bui’s parents could not be ‘typical American parents’ as they were struggling to abandoned their past and embrace American culture and customs. This struggle was observed by Bui, she felt their pain but did not know the details of their past. Bui explains in her book, ‘in America where people their age run marathons or at least live independently, my parents are stuck in limbo between two sets of expectations...and I feel guilty.’ This guilt is a product of living in a new world. Ironically America is a country founded by immigrants, yet little is done to help newcomers adapt and heal from the trauma they experienced. The Best We Could Do demonstrates that when learning about one’s family history it is vital to recognize the trauma that was endured, and see if it still lingers in the present.



References
  1. Bui, Thi. The Best We Could Do. ComicArts, 2018. 
  2. Huang, J. (2016, January 05). 40 percent of the nation's Vietnamese immigrants call California home. 
  3. Retrieved from https://www.scpr.org/blogs/multiamerican/2014/08/25/17200/california-vietnamese-immigrant-orange-county
  4. Nguyen, Thu. ‘Veitnamese refugees fled communism for the American Dream. Trump wants to send 
  5. them back.’ Houston Chronicle, December 2018. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Vietnamese-refugees-fled-communism-for-the-13493349.php 
  6. “Vietnam War.” HistoryNet, www.historynet.com/vietnam-war.

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  • Home
    • About >
      • FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions
    • Support Us >
      • Projects you can support! >
        • Distributing Books
        • Presenting at 112th Annual Meeting of Pacific Coast Branch
        • Summer Research Relocation Fund
    • Contact
  • Stories
    • Videos >
      • Black Hearts (2021)
    • Blog
    • Podcast: Forgotten History
  • Internship
    • Summer 2025 Internship
    • Spring 2025 Internship
    • Summer 2024 Internship
    • Summer 2023 Internship
    • Fall 2022 Internship
    • Summer 2022 Internship
    • Summer 2021 Internship
    • Fall 2020- Spring 2021 Internship
    • Summer 2020 Internship
    • Fall 2019 Internship
    • Summer 2019 Internship >
      • Public History Night
    • School Year 2018-2019 Internship
    • Summer 2018 Internship >
      • 2018 Summer Showcase + Fundraiser
    • Fall 2017 Internship
    • Summer 2017 Internship >
      • 2017 Summer Showcase & Fundraiser
  • Books
  • Archives
  • Resource Page
    • Supplementary Research Guides >
      • Unit 731 - Guide >
        • Background of Biochemical Warfare Development
        • Imperial Japan's Chemical Warfare Development Program
        • Map of Unit 731
        • Personnel of Unit 731
        • Duties of Unit 731
        • Human Experimentation
        • [GRAPHIC] Germ Warfare Attacks
        • Cover Ups After the War
        • [OLD] Cover Ups After the War
      • Philippines' Resistance - Guide >
        • Philippines World War II Timeline
        • The Japanese Invasion & Conquest of the Philippines
        • Bataan Death March
        • Formation of Underground Philippines Resistance
        • Supplies of the Guerrilla Fighters
        • The Hukbalahap
        • Hunter's ROTC
        • Marking's Guerrillas
        • United States Army Forces in the Philippines of Northern Luzon (USAFIP-NL)
        • The Aetas
        • Chinese and Filipino-Chinese Nationalist Guerrilla Units
        • The Female Faces of the Philippine Guerrillas
      • Rising Sun Flag - Guide >
        • History of the Rising Sun Flag
        • Atrocities Committed Under the Flag
        • Rising Sun Flag in Pop Culture
      • Pinay Guerrilleras - Guide >
        • Japanese Occupation of the Philippine Islands: Pinays Answering the Call to Arms
        • The Fierce Heneralas and Kumanders of the Hukbalahap Guerrillas
        • Amazons of the Pacific Theater
        • Filipina American Veterans: Recovering the Extraordinary Feats of the Ordinary Pinays
        • The Legacy of the Asian Women Soldier
      • Fall of Singapore - Guide >
        • Singapore World War II Timeline
        • History of World War II in the Pacific
        • History of Singapore
        • Japan's Conquest in Asia
        • Japan's Invasion of the Malay Peninsula
        • Sook Ching Massacre
        • Double Tenth Incident
        • Social Changes and Challenges in Singapore
        • Voices from Syonan
        • Return to British Rule
      • Three Years and Eight Months - Guide >
        • Hong Kong before WW2
        • Buildup to World War 2
        • The Battle of Hong Kong
        • Life during 3 Years and 8 Months
        • East River Column Guerrilla Fighters
        • Prisoners of War Camps
        • End of Japanese Occupation
        • War Crimes Trials
      • Siamese Sovereignty - Guide >
        • The Land of Smiles
        • The Thai-Japanese Relationship
        • Phibun’s Domestic and International Policies
        • The Free Thai Resistance Movement
        • Post WW2 Aftermath of Thailand
      • The Khabarovsk War Crimes Trial - Guide >
        • Defendants of Khabarovsk War Crime
        • The Japanese Empire and USSR in WW2
        • The Employment of the Bacteriological Weapon in the War
        • Planning of Japan invasion to USSR
      • Unit 731 Cover-up : The Operation Paperclip of the East - Guide >
        • Establishing Manchukuo
        • The Development of Unit 731
        • Plan Kantokuen and Bacteriological Warfare
        • The Downfall of the Japanese WW2 Era
        • Three Stages of Interrogations
        • Lasting Impacts
      • Marutas of Unit 731 - Guide >
        • How did Ishii Shiro start unit 731?
        • A Beta Testing Site
        • Establishing Pingfan
        • Experiences at the Human Experimentation Complex
        • Vivisection at the Unit 731
        • Anta Testing Grounds
        • Overall Advance from the Laboratory Creations
        • The End of the War
      • Prince Konoe Memoir - Guide >
        • Who is Prince Konoe?
        • Preparation to Tripartite Pact
        • Emperor Hirohito and Prince Konoe
        • The End of Prince Konoe
      • Competing Empires in Burma - Guide >
        • What was the China-Burma-India Theater?
        • When did the China-Burma-India Theater Happen?
        • Who Fought in the China-Burma-India Theater?
        • The Second Sino Japanese War
        • Japan in the South
        • Operation U-Go
      • Battle of Shanghai - Guide >
        • The Battle of Shanghai. Background
        • Shanghai Before War
        • The First Battle of Shanghai 1932
        • Battle of Shanghai 1937
        • Aftermath of Battle for Shanghai
      • Ishi Shiro - Guide >
        • History of Biological Weapons and The Young Ishii Shiro
        • Establishment in Manchuria
        • Pingfang District - Harbin
        • Failures and Corruption
        • Post War
      • Taiwan The Israel of the East - Guide >
        • Background of Formosa
        • Industrialization of Japan
        • China During WWII
        • Taiwan under Kuomintang
        • New Taiwanese National Identity
      • Seeking Justice for Biological Warfare Victims of Unit 731 - Guide >
        • Introduction of Wang Xuan
        • Colonel Memorandum
        • The Beginning of Biological Warfare
        • The Bacteriological Warfare on China
        • Victims in Zhejiang’s Testimonies
        • After the War
      • Rice and Revolution - Guide >
        • The French Colonial Period
        • Anti-Colonial Resistance
        • The Rise of the Communist Movement
        • Imperial Japan’s Entry into Indochina
        • The Portents of Famine
        • The Famine (1944-45)
        • Legacy of the 1944-45 Vietnam Famine
      • Clash of Empires - Guide >
        • Japan’s Imperialist Origins
        • Japan’s Competition against the West: Nanshin-ron and Hokushin-ron
        • Japanese Imperialism Through the Lens of French Indochina
        • The U.S.-Japan Relations and the Pearl Harbor Attack
      • Hunger for Power and Self-SufficiencyI - Guide >
        • The Influence of War Rations on Post-War Culinary Transformations
        • How World War II Complicated Food Scarcity and Invention
        • American Military Innovations
        • Government-Sponsored Food Inventions in Europe during World War II
        • Feeding the Army: The Adaptation of Japanese Military Cuisine and Its Impact on the Philippines
        • Mixed Dishes: Culinary Innovations Driven by Necessity and Food Scarcity
      • Denial A Quick Look of History of Comfort Women and Present Days’ Complication - Guide >
        • The Comfort Women System and the Fight for Recognition
        • The Role of Activism and International Pressure
        • The Controversy over Japanese History Textbooks
        • The Sonyŏsang Statue and the Symbolism of Public Memorials
        • Activism and Support from Japanese Citizens
        • The Future of Comfort Women Memorials and Education
      • Echoes of Empire: The Power of Japanese Propaganda - Guide >
        • Brief Overview of Imperial Japan
        • Defining Propaganda
        • Propaganda Encouraging Action​
        • The Rise of Nationalism
        • The Formation of Japanese State Propaganda
        • Youth and Education
      • Shadows of the Rising Sun: The Black Dragon Society and the Dawn of Pan-Asianism - Guide >
        • Origins of the Black Dragon Society
        • The Influence of Pan-Asianism
        • Relationship with Sun Yat-sen
        • The Role in Southeast Asia
        • The Spread of Ideology and Espionage
        • Disbandment and Legacy
      • Chongqing Bombing: The Forgotten Blitz of Asia and Its Lasting Impact - Guide >
        • Introduction and Historical Background
        • The Class Divide During the Bombings
        • Resilience and Unity of Chongqing
        • Key Incidents - Great Tunnel Massacre
        • The Aftermath of the Bombings
        • Legacy and Commemoration
      • Shanghai's International Zone: A Nexus of War, Intelligence, and Survival - Guide >
        • Historical Background
        • The International Zone
        • Battles in Shanghai
        • Civilian Intelligence Efforts
        • Wartime Brutality
        • Aftermath & Legacy
    • Lesson Plans >
      • Reparations
      • Ethics in Science
      • Writing the Narrative of a Pinay Fighter
      • Privilege Journal
      • Environmental Injustices
      • Female Guerrillas
      • Hunter's ROTC
      • Scientific Advancements
      • Seeking Justice: A Humanities Lesson Plan
      • The Hukbalahap
      • Trading Immunity
      • Bataan Death March
      • Biochemical Warfare Development
  • History Remembered
Contribute