Hello Everyone,
I recently read Inside Out & Back Again and wrote the following review of it on Goodreads.
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Written as a novel in verse, Inside Out & Back Again follows ten-year-old Hà as she moves, with her mother and three brothers, from war-torn Saigon in southern Vietnam to peaceable Alabama in the United States. Hà’s move is both physical and emotional, as she navigates learning English, American food, and feeling dumb and out of place in school. Saddened when her best friend’s family leaves Saigon, Hà actually happy her family is poor so they can stay. When the decision is made to leave, she is initially resistant, yet, once in America, her excitement increases with the knowledge of being sponsored by a “cowboy” who may have a horse for her to ride. With her English improving slowly, she forges friendships with two of her classmates and begins to understand what the Vietnam War looks like through the eyes of an American, since Mrs. Washington, her neighbor and tutor, lost a son to combat. Longing for the return of her missing-in-action father, Hà learns to content herself with her new life. Throughout the novel, Hà’s personality shines with emotional depth and sensitivity, since Inside Out & Back Again is predominately based on the experiences of the author.