BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lai, Thanhha. Inside Out and Back Again. New York: HarperCollins Publishing, 2011. ISBN 978-0-06-196279-0
PLOT SUMMARY
From Saigon to Alabama, this is the story of Hà, a ten-year-old girl who flees Vietnam with her mother and brothers, hoping to escape the horror of the Vietnam War. It recounts the journey that this family experienced in order to build a new and safer life for themselves in the United States.
This book is written as a series of short poems. It is a simple and honest narrative that follows Hà as she leaves the only home she's ever known in Vietnam to travel to
America. Leaving her war-torn country does not mean that her troubles
are over. In fact, leaving was just the first step in a very difficult
journey. Hà and her family struggle to find their place in the United States, but as the book ends, the family is finally making progress and gaining a sense of security, holding onto their hope that life will keep getting better for them.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Readers will be able to connect to this story, told as a collection of poems, because it is written in first person and reads like diary. The author creates a sense of intimacy through this first person account and readers feel personally involved in Hà's experience from the beginning to the end. Young readers are able to see the value in Hà's experience because she is just a young girl (10 years old) herself. In addition, the author does a great job using basic language and imagery that is appropriate and understood by young readers. Hà's innocence is shown throughout events that occur in the story. For example, when she
is able to watch some Western movies while living in the tent cities,
it makes her assume that anyone in a cowboy hat is a real-life cowboy. When she arrives in America, she meets the man who sponsors her family, and he is wearing a cowboy hat. She assumes he is a horseback-riding, cattle raising cowboy all because of his hat. This occurrence is a perfect opportunity to discuss perception and the problem with stereotyping individuals.
There are many themed carried throughout this narrative, but one very strong theme is the importance of family. Hà's
mother and brothers are all she really has left when they leave
Vietnam, and their strength is found in one another when hard times
come. Another theme that is interesting is food. Hà misses the traditional foods she was accustomed to eating, such as fresh papayas which she describes as "Middle sweet...between a mango and a pear." She is not a fan of the
"fast food" she is given in the United States. Some of the foods she
mentions are ones that are eaten on special holidays, which provides an
opportunity for readers to discuss the Vietnam culture.
This
is a wonderful narrative that combines historical events, fiction, and
poetry in one and can be used as a supplemental material in so many
educational units.
REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
2012 NEWBERY HONOR BOOK
2011 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER
From Kirkus Reviews: "An enligtening, poignant, and unexpectedly funny novel in verse."
From Booklist: “Based in Lai's personal experience, this first novel captures a child-refugee's struggle with rare honesty.”
From School Library Journal: "Ha's voice is full of humor and hope."
CONNECTIONS
Other books about child refugees:
• Park, Linda Sue. A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story.
ISBN 978-0547577319
• Pinkney, Andrea Davis. The Red Pencil. ISBN 978-0316247825
Check out Thanhha Lai's second book:
• Listen Slowly. ISBN 978-0062229199
Use this book as a supplemental read in Junior High World History or U.S. History when discussing the Vietnam War.
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