Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir (Popularity Papers) (Splintered) (Odds, #2)

by Amy Ignatow

National bestseller
2017 National Book Critics Circle (NBCC) Finalist
ABA Indies Introduce Winter / Spring 2017 Selection
Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Spring 2017 Selection
ALA 2018 Notable Books Selection

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.

• ISBN13: 9781419718779
• Publish Date: 7 March 2017 (first published 1 August 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Abrams
• Imprint: Abrams ComicArts
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://abramsandchronicle.co.uk/book/9781419718779-best-we-could-do-an-illustrated-memoir/

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

This is SO cute and SO funny! I hated to stop reading and was eager to get back to it when I had to. Love the artwork and style. Great for kids and adults.

Sometimes it's really clear when an author doesn't get kids or isn't in touch with their inner child. That is SO not the case here. It's a perfect example on doing it right, TBH.



And remember it's only okay, if someone self-identifies that way & asks to be referred as such. Otherwise, keep your big trap shut. Not everything is meant for us.

[leahrosereads]

I don't like to review memoirs/autobiographies because it's about someone's life and it feels weird to critique.

What I will say about El Deafo is that I really liked the art, and I'm so happy this book exists so that children know that being bullied isn't ever OK, and that they can be their own superheroes. This was a very interesting read that I enjoyed very much. I will definitely share the story when I have children of my own.

[mrs_mander_reads]

Finished this in two sittings. I loved the story. Bell does a great job of explaining how she felt and thought through her journey with hearing loss, and I think it's 100% accessible for students of any age. One of my new favorites! #eldeafo

[Angie]

I love happy endings! I also love bittersweet endings! Ensnared was just the perfect end for this series. That epilogue nearly made me cry, because it was just perfect. Although I absolutely knew that was coming, but it was the ending I wanted, so hooray! Also, it's not a typical ending. It's a bit out there, but we wouldn't expect anything less from Wonderland, right? Right!

Ensnared starts out with Alyssa on a mission. She needs to rescue her loved ones and repair Wonderland and defeat Queen Red. There's a lot she needs to do, and she needs her dad's help to do it. I adored that! Too often parents are just absent and don't know what the heck their teens are doing to save the world, but Alyssa's dad was a very important part in finding a way back to Wonderland. So everything gets going right away, and never stops! They go from problem to problem, solve one, and move on! It was great and kept me hooked!

The world-building continues to be fantastic even though this is the end of the trilogy. This time we get to see AnyElsewhere, which is just as weird as Wonderland, especially since someone is doing stuff to change it. It's there where Alyssa completes the first part of her mission. I was ecstatic to be reunited with Morpheus! He is just wonderful and we really got to see a softer side of him during this part of the book. Jeb on the other hand...well, he's changed. I won't go into details, because spoilers! But that was an interesting twist I never saw coming!

Of course, the love triangle is a major plot point. Alyssa keeps going back and forth between Jeb and Morpheus. I am firmly on Team Morpheus, but I could definitely believe her struggle. Her heart was literally splitting in two! She has reasons for wanting to be with both of them, and I believed that she truly loved them both and it was killing her! Like I said, I totally knew that resolution was coming. It was obvious, but I'm so glad that it did! It made me so happy!

Ensnared was a wonderful ending to this crazy trilogy! It was weird and bizarre and dark and dangerous and funny and HOORAY! I desperately want more though!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[Nessa Luna]

Read this review and more on October Tune!

Two years ago, I bought a book called Splintered because I was intrigued by the summary and the promise of a creepy Wonderland - and because of that cover. I read the book and fell in love, though I did also have some things I didn't like about the book (hence it only having three stars though I did love the story). Then Unhinged came out with another gorgeous cover and an even better story. And this year, Ensnared, the final book in the series was released. I had pre-ordered it and picked it up at my local bookstore as soon as they got it, and then I kind of let it lie on my desk for a couple of days because I was afraid of starting it and ending up completely disappointed by what happened in the end.

And I have to say I wasn't super happy with how the book ended, but more on that later. I just want to explain why I gave this book only three (and a half) stars, while I did love the previous one. Because in this book there was a lot more love-triangly things going on. This book was just full-on 'should I choose Jeb or should I choose Morpheus', and though there was enough action to compensate for that at least a bit, the whole triangle thing annoyed me so much in this book. Especially because both boys were so keen on having Alyssa. Seriously I think at some point they even started arguing/fighting about it while she was there, like seriously?!

Like with the previous two books, a lot of things were described in such detail that I found amazing. Though I had a hard time imagining half of those things, I really liked it in this book for some reason (though normally I do not like detailed descriptions of things). I just guess it fit in this story and it would have been a lot weirder to imagine most of the creatures from Wonderland and the Looking Glass world without those descriptions. But I still just can't imagine the clothes that Alyssa wears, I think I just need to see them drawn or in a picture before I can think 'oh so that's what it looks like'.

In this book, I started to dislike Morpheus more and more but I think I am one of the very few because I think at least 90% of the fandom loves him and I... Just... Can't... See... It... He's an ass, he's manipulative, he just wants Alyssa all to himself and he probably just kept Jeb alive because if he didn't Alyssa would probably be effing pissed at him or something. I don't know, I just don't like him. So yeah I was rooting for Jeb throughout this book (and in the previous book as well). I know he's not perfect either (he was a bit annoying in the first book as well, I have to admit that), but I just liked him better than Morpheus.

Like I said there were some nice action scenes in this book, but my favourite has got to be the part in the courtyard of Queen of Hearts' castle. Wow. Some things happened in that scene that made me really really scared, but in the end it all came out okay and I was happy again! But there was one scene that I really really missed in this book, and it actually made me feel a bit betrayed, honestly. The part where Ivory and Alyssa were supposed to put Wonderland back into it's original shape. The whole book led up to Alyssa having to defeat Red and bring back Wonderland and it DOES NOT HAPPEN. Instead Morpheus and Jeb do the thing and ugh I'm just a bit pissed at this. First of all Red was defeated in a bamf way (the courtyard thing), but then Alyssa almost dies and the 'men' do all the work. I really - ugh - I just can't really put it into words without repeating myself.. I am very disappointed by this.

As for the ending, I am both happy and not so happy with it - but it's a kind of spoiler (and I have already used some spoiler tags in this post, so I won't be using another one). If you want to know how the book ends, and (probably most importantly) who Alyssa ends up with, you should definitely read Ensnared.

My opinion on this book in one gif:

[ellieroth]

También en: El Extraño Gato del Cuento

Finales. Es tan triste despedirse de los personajes que amas, tan triste saber que cabe la posibilidad que no obtengan su final feliz. Te preocupas por ellos como si fueran gente de verdad... o en mi caso, más que por la gente de carne y hueso (si hacen algo malo, le puedes echar la culpa la escritora :v). Esta trilogía la empecé a leer cuando ya tenía el blog y la terminó aún teniendo el blog. Tres años ya casi. Juntos... No quiero despedirme de mis chicos D:

Comentario exclusivamente de Ensanared (milagrosamente sin spoiler)

No sé si fue cosa mía o Allie ya era así en los libros anteriores pero estoy tan enamorada de Morpheo que me importó bien poco la muchacha pero... ¡Qué pesada estuvo al inicio! Siendo la persona fría y sin corazón que soy, para mí no es tan difícil tomar ciertas decisiones por lo que los triángulos amorosos son lo peor para mí pero tiendo a seguir leyendo porque quiero saber si mi personaje favorito tendría su final feliz. Sólo que esta vez de verdad quería que A.G. Howard matará a Allie, que Morfeo lo sufriera y luego lo superará y final feliz para él. Pero los lectores no tenemos el poder de cambiar la mente de una autora.

Jeb y Allie son perfectos el uno para el otro, emos y llorones como no hay otros. Me la pasé gritando en todo el libro: ¡Morfeo me tienes a mí, deja a esa emo con el otro emo y seamos felices! Me gusta el drama pero no los dramáticos, una cachetada para esos dos no hubiera estado mal. Y para Morfeo también para que entre en razón.

Le puse un cuatro de cinco porque sentí que no avanzó mucho, no digo que sea un libro aburrido, todo lo contrario, lo leí rapidísimo (considerando mi última escasez de tiempo), narrativamente es muy atractivo, es solo que se quedaron en un lugar para luego pasar al otro y tratar de solucionar el problema. Creo que el hecho que la escritora nos haya hecho pasear por varios escenarios en sus libros anteriores, deja a este muy por detrás.

¿Ofendida por el final?

Mucha gente está bastante molesta por como terminó, creo que el hecho de que algunas cosas hayan pasado en tan pocas páginas dejó fríos a muchos lectores. ¿Hubiera preferido un final diferente? Sí, no lo voy a negar, soy del tipo todo o nada. Es bastante agridulce esta conclusión, mucho más que cualquier otro que haya leído, y es más por la cantidad de hojas en las que se dedicó. La misma A.G. Howard dice no estar del todo contenta con el final, que ella hubiera querido uno diferente pero que los personaje son demasiado vividos para ella y ellos tomaron sus decisiones, ella solo es su interprete.

Es triste despedirse de ellos... bueno, es triste despedirme de Morfeo, como amo a este tipo, es la mejor cosa de la vida Y SÍ, ME GUSTA QUE SEA UN LOCO MANIPULADOR. Es divertido, tienes que pensar mucho. Mi amor es intelectual... Sí, quiero un montón al muchacho.

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[cornerfolds]

When the final chapter of the Splintered series arrived on my doorstep last Tuesday, I was feeling a lot of different feels. I was super stoked that it had finally arrived, but I was really sad that such a wonderful series was going to end. I didn't know what to expect and, as a diehard member of Team Morpheus, I was terrified of not getting the ending I so desperately wanted. As I cracked open the beautiful cover and dived in, I kept my fingers tightly crossed in hopes that A.G. Howard wouldn't let me down.

And she didn't.

Ensnared is just as perfect as the previous two in the series - maybe even more so. The book begins as Alyssa and her dad prepare to enter the looking-glass world in search of Jeb and Morpheus who they hope are still alive, whole, and sane (well, as sane as they ever were). But that's not all Alyssa is looking for there... She has a plan to beat Red once and for all. She just has to keep it a secret from, well, everyone. Once they find Jeb and Morpheus (obviously), things are not as they should be, though they did manage not to kill each other in the meantime, and Jeb has discovered a new side of himself that Alyssa isn't sure she likes.

While I'm obviously not on the Jeb train, I did enjoy watching Alyssa and Jeb continue to discover the limits of their relationship. Even more than that though, I enjoyed Alyssa and Morpheus! Morpheus is up to his old devious ways, trying to constantly one up his competition (and succeeding, in my opinion).

Favorite Morpheus quote:

"If you'll but be mine, your heart will forever be sheltered in my care...For although you've made me feel things I am not equipped for...I cannot stop feeling them...You opened Pandora's box within me...and there is no closing it ever again." -Ensnared, page 212

Simply stated, this book is beautiful. The characters are beautiful. I loved watching Alyssa grow and find herself, becoming the mad queen that she was born to be. The worlds and landscapes are as beautiful and mad as ever. I loved the looking-glass world despite the fact that it was supposed to be an ugly, terrible place. Even the story itself is beautiful. Ensnared is much like Splintered and Unhinged in that Alyssa is constantly pulled back and forth between her two lives and the two men she cares about, though now there are more serious consequences for her indecisiveness. The madness is real with this one and I found myself with head spinning more than once as some scheme or another came to light.

And then there was the end... I've seen mixed opinions on the ending of Ensnared. I, for one, was not quite sure what I would think once I had a good idea of where it was heading. Without giving too much away, A.G. Howard did a perfect job of wrapping up the series and the love triangle in a way that really worked for me, although I can see why it might leave some people a little peeved.

I can't find anything I didn't love about this book! I'd give Ensnared a million stars if I could! My only real complaint is that it ended when it did. I've recommended this series to everyone and now, after reading the series ending, I have no regrets about doing so (unlike some other series I loved until the ending let me down). Seriously, if you haven't picked up this series yet, I don't know what's stopping you. You're going to regret waiting so long!

[stefu1]

It was a cute story that really opens people's eyes to the their view. A lesson can be taught in this book that everyone may get.