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.
Digital Audio
English language
Published April 1, 2012 by Recorded Books.
Vietnam-born author Thanhha Lai bursts onto the literary scene with Inside Out & Back Again-her National Book Award-winning debut. Written in rich, free-verse poems, this moving tale follows a young Vietnamese girl as she leaves her war-torn homeland for America in 1975. With Saigon about to fall to the communists, 10-year-old HA, her mother, and brothers are forced to flee their beloved city and head to the United States. But living in a new country isn't easy for HA, and she finds adapting to its strange customs ever challenging. source: www.recordedbooks.com/title-details/9781464020988
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).