(洋書を読んだ) The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui ★★★★

I love reading about real people's lives. Sometimes I even think non-fiction are the best novels. The things we all experience in life may greatly differ depending on where and when we live, but at the same time, so much of our internal struggles are the same. Just like the lyrics of the famous Disney song, "There's so much that we share, that it's time we're aware, it's a small world afterall." 
Author Thi Bui is a second generation Vietnamese American. Through her illustrated memoir, she tells the story of her parents before and during the Vietnam War, and after they escaped to the United States as refugees. I think my favorite part of this book is how Thi's mother always prioritizes education. She continues to educate herself, despite having children, despite moving to a country she knows close to nothing about, and despite working to provide for her family-- all because she believes in the importance of education. Her children therefore are also very studious. As a mother myself, I was very much inspired by her. It made me feel strongly about how it is also important to me that I myself continue to learn and grow, and that my children also become lifelong learners too. Perhaps having a "lifelong learning mindset" is the best present we could give to ourselves. It doesn't require any money and you don't need anyone's help either- just your own commitment.