Thi Bui
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Thi Bui (born 1975) is a Vietnam-born American
graphic novelist developed specialized terminology. Several attempts have been made to formalize and define the terminology of comics by authors such as Will Eisner, Scott McCloud, R. C. Harvey and Dylan Horrocks. Much of the terminology in English is under ...
and
illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...
. She is most known for her illustrated memoir, ''The Best We Could Do''.


Biography

Thi Bui was born in what was then
Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...
, Vietnam three months prior to the
Fall of Saigon The fall of Saigon, known in Vietnam as Reunification Day (), was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by North Vietnam on 30 April 1975. As part of the 1975 spring offensive, this decisive event led to the collapse of the So ...
during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...
. She is one of six children; two of her older siblings passed away prior to her birth. She and her family were part of the wave of "
boat people Vietnamese boat people () were refugees who fled Vietnam by boat and ship following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. This migration and humanitarian crisis was at its highest in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but continued well into the earl ...
" from Southeast Asia, arriving at a refugee camp in
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
. They were eventually granted asylum to the United States and migrated there in 1978.


Career

Bui has worked as a school teacher for years having worked in schools in New York City and Oakland. She was one of the founders of
Oakland International High School Oakland International High School opened in August 2007 with the support of The Internationals Network for Public Schools, Oakland Unified School District, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Gates Foundation is an American priva ...
in
Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...
, California, the first public high school in California for recent immigrants and English learners. There, she worked as an art and digital media teacher. Since 2015, she has been a faculty member of the MFA in Comics program at the
California College of the Arts The California College of the Arts (CCA) is a private art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded in Berkeley, California in 1907 and moved to a historic estate in Oakland, California in 1922. In 1996, it opened a second campus in ...
. Prior to her career as an illustrator, she had never had any experience with drawing. The range of Bui's work often focuses on political and social issues. In 2017, Bui published her first graphic novel ''The Best We Could Do'' chronicling the life of her refugee parents and siblings, their life in Vietnam prior to their escape after the Vietnam War and their eventual migration to the United States. The book delves into themes of immigration, war and intergenerational trauma. She worked on the novel for over a decade. The book went on to receive critical acclaim and a number of accolades including National Book Critics Circle, American Book Award and was also a finalist for the
Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work The Eisner Award for Best Reality-Based Work is an award for "creative achievement" in non-fiction American comic books. Winners and nominees Notes References {{Eisner Awards Category Category, plural categories, may refer to: Gener ...
category among others. In 2017, it made Bill Gates' top five book list. For the 2017 to 2018 academic year, it was selected as UCLA's Common Book and was incorporated into its undergraduate program. The same year, '' A Different Pond'', a children's picture book, was published. She worked on the book as an illustrator and collaborated with spoken word artist and writer Bao Phi for the project. A ''Different Pond'' went on to win the
Caldecott Honor The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...
for illustration. In 2019, she teamed up with acclaimed novelist
Viet Thanh Nguyen Viet Thanh Nguyen (; born March 13, 1971) is a South Vietnamese-born American professor and novelist. He is the Aerol Arnold Chair of English and Professor of English and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California ...
for a new picture book titled ''Chicken of the Sea''. Nguyen and Bui collaborated with their sons to create the story with Nguyen and his son Ellison as writers and Bui and her son Hien as illustrators. Since her debut work, she has gone on to write and illustrate short-form comics about many domestic political issues within the Southeast Asian community. Her next book, ''Nowhereland'', will focus on the topics of incarceration and deportation of the Southeast Asian people in the United States. She is also working on a science fiction story about climate change in Vietnam and in poorer countries.


Works

* 2012: ''We Are Oakland International'' (Immigration Stories from Oakland International High School, Volume 4) (as an editor) * 2017: '' The Best We Could Do'', New York:
Abrams ComicArts Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher Média-Participations. Run by president and CEO Mary ...
(author and illustrator) * 2017: ''A Different Pond'' (Written by Bao Phi), North Mankato, Minnesota:
Capstone __NOTOC__ Capstone may refer to: Architecture * Keystone (architecture), also known as a capstone Brands and enterprises * Capstone Investment Advisors, a US investment management firm * Capstone Partners, an investment banking firm * Capstone P ...
(as an illustrator) * 2018: ''Displaced: Refugee Writers on Refugee Lives'',
Abrams Books Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher Média-Participations. Run by president and CEO Mar ...
(as a writing contributor for "Perspective and What Gets Lost") * 2018: ''Refugee to Detainee: How the U.S. is Deporting Those Seeking a Safe Haven'' (short comic) * 2019: ''Chicken of the Sea'', San Francisco, McSweeney's Publishing (as an illustrator alongside Hien Bui-Stafford) *2020: I''n/Vulnerable: Inequity in the time of pandemic'', a co-publication of Reveal and
The Nib ''The Nib'' was an American online daily comics publication focused on political cartoons, Comics journalism, graphic journalism, essays and memoir about current affairs. Founded by cartoonist Matt Bors in September 2013, ''The Nib'' was an ind ...
(as an illustrator)


Awards

* ''The Best We Could Do'' ** 2017: UCLA's Common Book ** 2017: National Book Critics Circle finalist ** 2018: American Book Award ** 2018: Eisner Award finalist (Reality-based Comics) * ''A Different Pond'' ** 2017: Caldecott Honor for illustration


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bui, Thi 1975 births Living people American graphic novelists American Book Award winners American women novelists 21st-century American illustrators American women illustrators Vietnamese illustrators Vietnamese women illustrators Writers from Ho Chi Minh City 21st-century Vietnamese women writers 21st-century American women artists 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American novelists 21st-century Vietnamese artists Caldecott Honor winners American women novelists of Asian descent American novelists of Asian descent