Aidan Reads reviewed Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Review of 'Inside Out & Back Again' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Very moving. A lovely story that holds on to you.
Thanhha Lai: Inside Out and Back Again (2013, HarperCollins Publishers)
288 pages
English language
Published Oct. 5, 2013 by HarperCollins Publishers.
For all the ten years of her life, Hà has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, Hà discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food . . . and the strength of her very own family.
Very moving. A lovely story that holds on to you.
I absolutely loved this story. The verse actually adds to a lot of the elements, pointing out things that I wouldn't have considered before and making me reread sections in order to get it through with the different possible rhythms.
It's such a gorgeous story that there's not much to say about it. I adored this so much, and I loved the inclusion of food as part of the changes. Food was always there, and that's a huge thing for people who migrate; it's always one of the few things that make us comfortable, that really remind us of home, that really make things better (even when situations feel hopeless).
This immigration story of a Vietnamese family that moves to Alabama to escape the war is told by their youngest daughter, who struggles to fit in and to learn English in her new home. Short and sweet, it is a good pick for struggling readers, students who need some empathy or students that like exotic settings or characters.