Book cover image:
Book Summary: Having
already lost her father to the darkness that is the war that plagues South Vietnam,
ten-year-old Ha and her family sneak onto a ship toward the United States as
the communists take over. She encounters many different people and situations
while at sea, and she is nervous to be starting a new life in a new country. A
mechanic from Alabama sponsors the family, and Ha’s three brothers quickly take
on jobs to support the family as they are all encouraged to learn English as
quickly as possible. Miss Washington, their new neighbor, helps Ha learn
English and helps console her when necessary. While Ha gets bullied by some
boys at school, friends at school, her brothers, and the adults in her life all
stand up for her. More importantly, Ha learns to stand up for herself. As the
family becomes comfortable in their new life, they come to accept that the
father is truly gone, and they remember him fondly as they look forward to the
new year and a better future.
APA Reference of Book
Lai, T. (2011). Inside out & back again. New York, NY: Harper.
Impressions: I
absolutely love reading novels in verse. The imagery, the emotions, and the
connections provided are so strong. I have never been starved, lost my country,
or lost an immediate family member, so it would seem that I have nothing in
common with the young protagonist and her struggling family. However, it is
books like this that help me build empathy for those of other cultures who have
experienced different things from myself. It is very important for people to
read because it creates open minds, and this book definitely did this for me.
It helps me appreciate my life and the simple things that I do have.
Professional Review:
Long, J. R. (2011). Inside out & back again. The Horn Book
Magazine, 87(2), 120.
Recounting events that resemble her own family's 1975 flight
from Saigon and first months in the United States, Lai pens a novel in vividly
imagined verse. Each brief poem encapsulates a mood and experience of that
year. As the Vietnam War nears its end in April, ten-year-old Has
"Birthday Wishes" include "Wish Mother would stop / chiding me
to stay calm / which makes it worse" and diat "Father [who's missing
in action] would come home." Registering for school in Alabama in August,
Ha encounters "a woman who / pats my head / while shaking her own. / I
step back, / hating pity, / . . . the pity giver / feels better, / never
the pity receiver." Such condescension is new to Ha and her brothers, all
excellent students, as is being daunted by challenges like the urgent need to
master idiosyncratic English. Meanwhile, Brother Vu takes odd jobs; Quang (who
once said, "One cannot justify war / unless each side / flaunts its own /
blind conviction") repairs cars. Many neighbors and classmates, with their
own blind convictions, are cruelly antagonistic, but Ha soon finds allies at
school and in English-tutor Ms. Washington. Lai's spare language captures the
sensory disorientation of changing cultures as well as a refugee's complex
emotions and kaleidoscopic loyalties. That Ms. Washington's son died in Vietnam
underlines the disparity between nations' quarrels and their citizens'
humanity, suggesting this as a provocative companion to Katherine Paterson's
Park's Quest (rev. 7/88). JOANNA RUDGE LONG
Library Uses: An important reason for reading is to help people
build empathy and learn more about others who may be different from themselves.
Have students reflect on the things that Ha suffered and compare them to what
their own problems are. There may be similarities, but there are sure to be
many differences. Students will write their problems in an anonymous paper
“shoe.” Another student will randomly choose that “shoe” and reflect on whether
or not he/she could walk a mile in it.
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