Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

 

Lai, Thanhha. Inside Out and Back Again. New York: Harper-HarperCollins Publishers, 2011. ISBN 978-0-06-196278-3

Plot

Inside Out & Back Again is a novel in verse detailing a year in the life of Hà, a ten-year-old girl from South Vietnam, starting in 1975: the Year of the Cat and the year of the Fall of Saigon. The story is told from Hà’s point of view in four parts, first describing her daily life with all its wonders and hardships, her dreams and worries, and her eventual flee as Saigon is taken over. She continues to describe her weeks aboard a refugee ship with her mother and three brothers, until they meet a rescue ship and are first taken to Guam, then Florida, and finally Alabama. In Alabama, Hà is expected to attend school and learn English. Settling in a foreign country, where everyone speaks a foreign language and follows foreign traditions, is not easy. Hà has to learn how to deal with homesickness, heartache, schoolyard bullies, and new friendships.

Analysis

The individual poems that make up this novel are written in free verse. They are titled and dated, indicating the passage of time, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes repeated. The titles often offer additional insight or emphasis into the poems that follow. Lines, sentences, and stanzas vary from short to long, alternately softening and strengthening the rhythm and flow of each verse. Short, blunt, one-line stanzas are effectively used to add an element of surprise or humor, and often for a greater impact. Repetition is similarly employed throughout individual poems and across poems throughout the novel. Words are carefully chosen to paint a vivid picture, create a sound either hard or soft, and evoke strong emotions, such as in the following stanza from the poem “English Above All”:

              “I must stand on a chair

              that stands on a tea table

              to see

              the sun and the moon

              out a too-high window.”

Clear imagery and strong emotions, always present and never forced, are brilliantly revealed line after line. The emotions are those of a ten-year-old girl, a sister, a student, a refugee, and an immigrant. Hà is full of real emotions—joy and sadness, fear and hope, humor and anger, depression and resilience. She will often surprise you, but throughout it all she remains true to herself.

Awards and Recognitions

Inside Out & Back Again is a winner of the National Book Award, a Newbery Honor book, and a #1 New York Times bestseller. It is also featured on many best book and notable book lists.

“An enlightening, poignant and unexpectedly funny novel in verse is rooted in the author's childhood experiences […]In her not-to-be-missed debut, Lai evokes a distinct time and place and presents a complex, realistic heroine whom readers will recognize, even if they haven’t found themselves in a strange new country.”—starred Kirkus review

“Lai gives insight into cultural and physical landscapes, as well as a finely honed portrait of Hà's family […] An incisive portrait of human resilience.”—starred Publishers Weekly review

“Based in Lai’s personal experience, this first novel captures a child–refugee’s struggle with rare honesty. […] Hà’s immediate narrative describes her mistakes―both humorous and heartbreaking; and readers will be moved by Hà’s sorrow as they recognize the anguish of being the outcast.”—starred Booklist review

Connections

Novels in verse are a wonderful way to introduce those who love books and stories to the world of poetry. Have kids try writing short stories in verse. These stories could be based on their real life experiences or on their wildest imaginings. Also try reading some of these other books written in verse:

• The Crossover, written by Kwame Alexander
• Brown Girl Dreaming, written by Jacqueline Woodson
• Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings, written by Margarita Engle
• Garvey’s Choice, written by Nikki Grimes
• Applesauce Weather, written by Helen Frost and illustrated by Amy June Bates

Consider reading other books about the refugee and immigrant experience, such as:

• Other Words for Home, written by Jasmine Warga (also a novel in verse)
• Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale, written and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh
• Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation, written by Edwidge Danticat and illustrated by Leslie Staub
• The Journey, written and illustrated by Francesca Sanna
• Illegal, written by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin and illustrated by Giovanni Rigano

*This review was written for a youth literature class through Texas Woman’s University.