Inside Out And Back Again, a novel written in prose by Thanhha Lai, tells the story of a young Vietnamese girl, named Ha. Living in the midst of the Vietnamese War, Ha’s small town life in Saigon is slowly turning upside down. It’s getting so bad that they have to evacuate on a ship with thousands of other families. The journey is exhausting. And once she and her family reach the unfamiliar state of Alabama, little improves. There, everything is backwards. Ha, who used to be at the top of her class, is now being applauded for reciting the alphabet. The English language sounds like hissing snakes. And their cowboy doesn’t even have a horse. Ha struggles to make sense of her new home and fit in. But how can she, when she feels the world is against her?
The author, Thannha Lai, says that she experienced much of what she wrote about Ha. She, too, had a father that was missing in action, and endured much of the bullying and harassment that Ha is written to have. In my opinion, she portrayed her experiences and raw emotions through Ha beautifully.
This was a great book, for many reasons – I first picked this up when I was nine years old, as my parents’ Christmas present to me. I’ve started reading it again recently, and then decided to review it. It was gorgeously written, of course; I’ve always been a big fan of poetry, and the way that Lai wrote the novel really spoke to me.
Another reason I enjoyed this read was because of how easy it was to identify with and feel Ha’s emotions, even if your experiences were different from hers. Ha’s innocent, curious voice weaves a vivid setting for the reader to imagine, as if they’re looking through her eyes themselves. She speaks of life in Saigon, describing everything from the busy marketplaces to the soft, chewy insides of a papaya. She talks about the pain and fury she feels after facing discrimination from her classmates, and how she learns to deal with those emotions. Ha moved to Alabama at a time where racism was extremely prevalent, as proven by her classmates who treated her like she was an exotic toy.
The book was a very sweet one overall, but didn’t hesitate to show honest moments of raw pain and emotion that really showed just how hard life was for refugees at the time of the Vietnam War, an important thing for readers of all ages to know. Nevertheless, the story is a compelling one, and each page makes you root more and more for the protagonist.
I would recommend this book for ages nine to eleven. It’s perfect if you’re curious about a refugee’s life, the Vietnamese War, or just like reading things in free verse. Overall, this is an amazing novel, and Lai paints a beautiful picture with each page.
A well-written novel about a refugee family in the 1970’s struggling to fit in.
Rating: 5 stars.
