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.
Paperback, 272 pages
English language
Published Jan. 5, 2012 by Scholastic.
Inside Out & Back Again
by Thanhha Lai
4 stars
(6 reviews)
For all the ten years of her life, Ha has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her friends close by...and the beauty of her very own papaya tree.
But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Ha and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, Ha discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of strangers, the dullness of its food, the strange shape of its landscape...and the strength of her very own family.
This is the moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing as she journeys from one country to another, one life to the next. --back cover
nerd teacher [books] reviewed Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
I've read this a dozen times.
4 stars
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).
