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    Inside Out and Back Again: A Newbery Honor Award Winner
    Inside Out and Back Again: A Newbery Honor Award Winner
    Inside Out and Back Again: A Newbery Honor Award Winner
    Ebook238 pages1 hour

    Inside Out and Back Again: A Newbery Honor Award Winner

    By Thanhhà Lai

    4.5/5

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    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Inside Out and Back Again is a #1 New York Times bestseller, a Newbery Honor Book, and a winner of the National Book Award!

    Inspired by the author's childhood experience as a refugee—fleeing Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon and immigrating to Alabama—this coming-of-age debut novel told in verse has been celebrated for its touching child's-eye view of family and immigration.

    Hà has only ever known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, and the warmth of her friends close by. But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. Hà and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope—toward America.

    This moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing received four starred reviews, including one from Kirkus which proclaimed it "enlightening, poignant, and unexpectedly funny."

    An author's note explains how and why Thanhha Lai translated her personal experiences into Hà's story. This updated digital edition also includes an interview with the author, an activity you can do with your family, tips on writing poetry, and discussion questions.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateFeb 22, 2011
    ISBN9780062069726
    Inside Out and Back Again: A Newbery Honor Award Winner
    Author

    Thanhhà Lai

    Thanhhà Lại is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the National Book Award and Newbery Honor–winning Inside Out and Back Again; the celebrated Listen, Slowly; the teen novel Butterfly Yellow; and the picture book Hundred Years of Happiness. She was born in Việt Nam and now lives in New York. 

    Read more from Thanhhà Lai

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    Reviews for Inside Out and Back Again

    4.5/5

    1,123 ratings160 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      A girl and her family are refugees from Vietnam and eventually immigrate to America. There, she, her three brothers, and her mother are placed in Alabama where they temporarily live with a host family. They experience everything from learning a new language, prejudices from adults and children, and the cultural boundaries between Vietnamese to Americans. As time passes, Ha and her family feel more and more welcomed into their foreign home.
    • 5/5
      Beautiful, painfully real.
    • 4/5
      This was a really good book!
    • 5/5
      Just absolutely marvelous!
    • 5/5
      The story of a family fleeing Vietnam during the war, told in verse. I found both of these things very unique, especially for the target age.The refugee type story is universal, spreading itself through history and yet the emotion of it is captured well enough here to make the reader feel the uniqueness of this particular situation, in this point in time. It is important to feel the emotion and struggle of the characters in order to best understand them and their behaviors as their stories progress, and you certainly can do that here.A must have for young lovers of history and for the emotional story of family and togetherness.
    • 5/5
      I'm not sure who could read this without getting emotional. Good stories written about children have a way of capturing the what kids feel so deeply and this one was amazing. I teared up on more than one occasion, and even had trouble with my dinner after reading a particular scene with her brother on the boat (I wound up not eating my chicken last night, couldn't do it). From there it was heartbreaking, but still managed to make me smile. Especially the sections about English rules. Lovely, lovely book. Well worth a read.
    • 5/5
      Highly recommended
    • 4/5
      Interesting book
    • 5/5
      Beautiful short verse book about a young girl born in Vietnam, who leaves with much of her family, as Saigon falls to the North, and her difficulties adjusting to life in the US.
    • 3/5
      The prose of this book is truly beautiful. This would be a great book to use for a historical fiction lesson.
    • 5/5
      I liked this book very much. The characters were extremely believable and well developed. Additionally this book really pushed the readers to think about tough issues and broaden their perspectives. One way that the author developed the characters was by showing their growth throughout the journey of adjusting to a new life. Not only did the main character experience realistic changes and development, all of her family who were the main characters were developed as well. Each character stayed true to themselves throughout the entirety of the book and went through what I thought were very realistic up's and down's given their situation. This book pushes readers throughout and in so many different ways which really were interesting and thought provoking. For example, the story shows the trials and tribulations a family goes through moving to a completely different part of the world and many of these things children do not think about. Specifically, the book takes you through the ten year olds day to day life which includes a lot of bullying. This really makes the reader think deeply on multiple levels. Between just the concept of bullying and various ways that its dealt with as well as why she is bullied adds a great amount of depth to the story. This book is a double award winner. It won the National book award and the Newberry Honor book medal. The main idea of this book was to teach children about the Vietnam war lifestyle in terms of the children living in the areas effected.
    • 5/5
      Because of it story passage is good and amazing .
    • 5/5
      The book had a great plot and Inside Out & Back Again has excellent poetry and the author describes excellent details. The book also illustrates life during the Vietnam War clearly and teaching the life.
    • 5/5
      My young niece read this book in class and told me I would love it. I did.
    • 5/5
      This book is about a 10 yr old girl named Ha who lived in Vietnam during war.then she had to leave her coutry with her family to Alabama by ship. She told about her country's different celebration, culture, food and her days during war, how they passed days in ship, new country, her struggle with learning a new language, and being a victim of school bullying. ☹️
      It's my first verse novel & I am amazed to see how you can express sooooo much with just few words. ??
      I think I love almost everything of this book. Even though I hate that Ha faced the bully but I love how she expressed her anger in verse. I really admire her family & their strong bonding. I love how every child of this family love and value their mother. I have few similarities in nature with brother khoi so really wanted to give him hug few times while reading.??
      Highly recommend this book. ?☺️
    • 5/5
      What a beautiful little book! I loved this whole story. I loved that it is written in verse. I loved that it's from the point of view of a 10-year-old during the Vietnam War. It was so interesting to see everything from her perspective. So good!
    • 5/5
      I thought this book was amazing cause it doesn't only talk about Ha it talks about her family too. And all the challenges they faced. I recommend this book to people who like learning history.
    • 5/5
      What an honest experience and story. It’s so cute imagining 10 years old girl who fled from Vietnam to US. Escaped from the war.
      Hà is the sweetest girl ever..
    • 5/5
      Inside Out & Back Again is a novel written in verse by Thanhha Lai. The book was awarded the 2011 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and one of the two Newbery Honors. Based on the author’s own experiences during her first year in the United States, we read of a little girl whose family has escaped the fall of Vietnam on a boat, was then was subsequently rescued by the Americans, placed in a refugee camp until being sponsored and moved to the state of Alabama. The story unfolds in short free-verse poems which are easy to read, descriptive and poignant. These poems provide a lot of information about life in Vietnam, including the food, clothing, and traditions, as well as how conditions changed as the war drew ever closer. When she arrives in America, she writes of her struggles with a new language, as well as the bullying and racism that she and her family endured. But her experiences are not all negative, there are new people that are welcoming and as her family adapt and become Americans, there is laughter and joy.Inside Out and Back Again is a memorable story, told beautifully. It is filled with images and emotions, both painful and joyous and expresses the immigrant experience in a simple, heartfelt manner.
    • 5/5
      ok- Inside Out & Back Again
      Author- @thanhalai
      Publisher- @harpercollins
      Genre- #YA
      My Rating- 5⭐

      Ha's story is inspired by the author's own experiences. In an interview, when asked, why she didn't write it as an autobiography, Thanha Lai said that she tended to embellish the truth always and also that she did not want to be put in a position where she is answerable to her family. This way, as a fiction, it's a version of the truth with none of its inconveniences.

      The longing for Saigon, its vistas, the language and its good is so so evident in the book. The references to food are especially note worthy, and bring to mind how much we associate home with food.

      Written in free verse, which the author feels beat echoes her native language, this book is a poignant read on the effects of war and how refugees feel and the problem of acclimatisation in a foreign country.

      Another book for celebrating #AsianPacificAmericanHeritageMonth
    • 4/5
      Ha lives in Vietnam. Her father went to fight in the war and has disappeared. Her mother and three brothers do the best they can, but when the war comes too close to home, they flee, boarding a crowded boat hoping to get to America. Eventually they make it to the US, and then to Alabama, where a presumably wealthy car dealer agrees to sponsor them.Ha has trouble with bullies at school, trouble learning the English language, and trouble missing her homeland so much. But her family holds each other up, and she has two children in school who try be her friend. There are also three adults who do all they can for her, her teacher, an elderly retired teacher in the neighborhood, who begins tutoring Ha in English, and surprisingly, the "Cowboy," which is what Ha calls the car dealer who brought them to Alabama. I'm not generally a fan of novels in verse, but this reads smoothly.
    • 5/5
      When I first opened this book I was taken back a bit by the format of the text. I never read a novel that was formatted like a poem but it was very refreshing! I also thought the dates at the bottom of the pages were helpful in keeping a mental timeline. This book was great, I felt as if I was a fly on the wall watching Ha go through ups and downs as she had to adapt to a new world. This book can be used as an example of types of poems, or in an 8th grade social studies class when learning about the Vietnam War.
    • 4/5
      This book was so hard to put down that I didn't.

      Thanhha Lai gives a fictional account based on her own experiences leaving Saigon after the U.S. troops left Vietnam with the country under an unstable communist regime.

      Dealing with traumatic change, a dangerous journey, and racism in her new home state of Alambama, Ha's story is poignant and real.
    • 5/5
      This book was beautifully written and really gave insight into a young Vietnamese girl. I enjoyed the story and the writing. Beautiful!
    • 3/5
      A quick, often humorous read about a young girl's struggles as a refugee in the US. I loved that it was written in verse novel, but not sure if it's going to appeal to many tweens.
    • 5/5
      Audiobook performed by Doan Ly Ha is the 10-year-old daughter of a Vietnamese Navy Officer who has gone missing while on a mission. As the Americans pull out of the war and Saigon is about to fall, Ha and her family escape the country via ship. Eventually they gain a sponsor, and the family tries to start over in the USA, a strange land, where the language, food, customs and religion are all different what they are used to. This middle-grade novel focusing on the immigrant experience is told entirely in verse, and I applaud Lai for how much she manages to convey in so few words. Ha is a strong little girl, focusing on becoming a star pupil at school (as she had done in Saigon), trying to make friends, to learn the customs and traditions of American celebrations like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, trying to NOT get beaten by bullies. Ha watches her mother work a menial job and slowly acknowledge that her husband is likely dead. In one heart-wrenching poem the child admits:No one would believe me but at times I would choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in AlabamaStill the family perseveres, and makes their way in this new land, celebrating each accomplishment, and giving thanks for the opportunity to succeed. It’s a moving story and wonderfully told. It is at once complex and straightforward, nuanced, and simple. The author note at the end of the work explains that much of what happens to Ha in the novel actually happened to the author. The book won the National Book Award, and was also named a Newbery Honor Book. The audiobook is performed by Doan Ly. She has a wonderful delivery for this book. Great pace and she’s believable as a young girl. I did read at least half the book in text format, however because I was anxious to finish it.
    • 5/5
      No matter how old you are, whether or not you like poetry or not, you should still read this. I'm 45, I'm not into poetry, and I loved this. In spare but elegant verse, the story of one year in the life of a girl is told. A year where Saigon falls and her family becomes refugees fleeing to safety in the United States. A year of coming to terms with a new culture and language. A year of struggle as a forced immigrant. This is amazing both as a piece of literature and as a learning experience.
    • 5/5
      Simply amazing. I was swept up in all the feels as a little girl flees Vietnam just before the fall of Saigon with her family, led by her strong but all-too-human mother. Lai effectively communicates all the confusion, uncertainty and compromises facing a refugee in an alien land.I'm not a fan of poetry, which this claims to be, but near as I can tell in this case that just means hitting the return key in odd places and paring the story down to only the most essential sentences.I read this for the 2019 Johnston, Iowa, Community Read.
    • 5/5
      Ha has lived in Saigon for all of her life, though things have been different, especially recently. Her dad has been gone most of her ten years, and she worries that she will never see him again. But she has to be brave, and she has to have hope. When the Vietnam War hits Saigon, it's time for Ha, her mother, and her brothers to move somewhere safe. Taking only one item each, they travel by boat far away from the only home Ha has ever known. The journey isn’t easy, and it's the worst experience of her young life. When the boat has finally reached safety, Ha is still not at her final destination. More moving and adjusting will take place before her family is sponsored, and they move to a state called Alabama. Now she needs to try to fit in, only she doesn’t speak the language, and many people already think they know who she is and what she is about. What will Ha’s life be like in America? Will she find friends and be accepted? Is her family ever going to see father again? What would you pick if you could only take one item from your home? You must follow along with Ha on her journey to find out what happens!

      Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai is based on the author’s experience leaving Vietnam as a young girl. The story is told in verse. I had never read a chapter book written in verse, and I was concerned that I might not like it. This was not the case! Ha’s emotions came through in beautiful stanzas. The short chapters and text made it easy for me to read a huge chunk of the book at once, and then to read parts when I only had a little time. Ha’s relationship with her siblings was easy to relate to, and I liked reading her perspective on the life changing journey. I would definitely recommend this book to fourth through eighth graders. I think many adults would learn a lot from seeing the world through Ha’s eyes. I enjoyed the historical aspects of the book, and I think it would help a lot of kids to see what life is like for someone during wartime, and why peace is so important. I look forward to reading another book by this author.
    • 4/5
      A beautiful story told in verse that teaches us to be kind and open minded and gives a broader perspective in the life and feelings of a refugee.

    Book preview

    Inside Out and Back Again - Thanhhà Lai

    PART I

    Saigon

    1975: Year of the Cat

    Today is T t,

    the first day

    of the lunar calendar.

    Every T t

    we eat sugary lotus seeds

    and glutinous rice cakes.

    We wear all new clothes,

    even underneath.

    Mother warns

    how we act today

    foretells the whole year.

    Everyone must smile

    no matter how we feel.

    No one can sweep,

    for why sweep away hope?

    No one can splash water,

    for why splash away joy?

    Today

    we all gain one year in age,

    no matter the date we were born.

    T t, our New Year’s,

    doubles as everyone’s birthday.

    Now I am ten, learning

    to embroider circular stitches,

    to calculate fractions into percentages,

    to nurse my papaya tree to bear many fruits.

    But last night I pouted

    when Mother insisted

    one of my brothers

    must rise first

    this morning

    to bless our house

    because only male feet

    can bring luck.

    An old, angry knot

    expanded in my throat.

    I decided

    to wake before dawn

    and tap my big toe

    to the tile floor

    first.

    Not even Mother,

    sleeping beside me, knew.

    February 11

    T t

    Inside Out

    Every new year Mother visits

    the I Ching Teller of Fate.

    This year he predicts

    our lives will twist inside out.

    Maybe soldiers will no longer

    patrol our neighborhood,

    maybe I can jump rope

    after dark,

    maybe the whistles

    that tell Mother

    to push us under the bed

    will stop screeching.

    But I heard

    on the playground

    this year’s bánh ch ng,

    eaten only during T t,

    will be smeared in blood.

    The war is coming

    closer to home.

    February 12

    Kim Hà

    My name is Hà.

    Brother Quang remembers

    I was as red and fat

    as a baby hippopotamus

    when he first saw me,

    inspiring the name

    Hà Mã,

    River Horse.

    Brother V screams, Hà Ya,

    and makes me jump

    every time

    he breaks wood or bricks

    in imitation of Bruce Lee.

    Brother Khôi calls me

    Mother’s Tail

    because I’m always

    three steps from her.

    I can’t make my brothers

    go live elsewhere,

    but I can

    hide their sandals.

    We each have but one pair,

    much needed

    during this dry season

    when the earth stings.

    Mother tells me

    to ignore my brothers.

    We named you Kim H ,

    after the Golden (Kim) River (Hà),

    where Father and I

    once strolled in the evenings.

    My parents had no idea

    what three older brothers

    can do

    to the simple name

    Hà.

    Mother tells me,

    They tease you

    because they adore you.

    She’s wrong,

    but I still love

    being near her, even more than I love

    my papaya tree.

    I will offer her

    its first fruit.

    Every day

    Papaya Tree

    It grew from a seed

    I flicked into

    the back garden.

    A seed like

    a fish eye,

    slippery

    shiny

    black.

    The tree has grown

    twice as tall

    as I stand

    on tippy toes.

    Brother Khôi spotted

    the first white blossom.

    Four years older,

    he can see higher.

    Brother V later found

    a baby papaya

    the size of a fist

    clinging to the trunk.

    At eighteen,

    he can see that much higher.

    Brother Quang is oldest,

    twenty-one and studying engineering.

    Who knows what he will notice

    before me?

    I vow

    to rise first every morning

    to stare at the dew

    on the green fruit

    shaped like a lightbulb.

    I will be the first

    to witness its ripening.

    Mid-February

    TiTi Waves Good-bye

    My best friend TiTi

    is crying hard,

    snotting the hem

    of her pink fluffy blouse.

    Her two brothers

    also are sniffling

    inside their car

    packed to the roof

    with suitcases.

    TiTi shoves into my hand

    a tin of flower seeds

    we gathered last fall.

    We hoped to plant them

    together.

    She waves from the back window

    of their rabbit-shaped car.

    Her tears mix with long strands of hair,

    long hair I wish I had.

    I would still be standing there

    crying and waving to nothing

    if Brother Khôi hadn’t come

    to take my hand.

    They’re heading to Vũng Tàu

    he says,

    where the rich go

    to flee Vietnam

    on cruise ships.

    I’m glad we’ve become poor

    so we can stay.

    Early March

    Missing in Action

    Father left home

    on a navy mission

    on this day

    nine years ago

    when I was almost one.

    He was captured

    on Route 1

    an hour south of the city

    by moped.

    That’s all we know.

    This day

    Mother prepares an altar

    to chant for his return,

    offering fruit,

    incense,

    tuberoses,

    and glutinous rice.

    She displays his portrait

    taken during T t

    the year he disappeared.

    How peaceful he looks,

    smiling,

    peacock tails

    at the corners

    of his eyes.

    Each of us bows

    and wishes

    and hopes

    and prays.

    Everything on the altar

    remains for the day

    except the portrait.

    Mother locks it away

    as soon as her chant ends.

    She cannot bear

    to look into Father’s

    forever-young

    eyes.

    March 10

    Mother’s Days

    On weekdays

    Mother’s a secretary

    in a navy office,

    trusted to count out

    salaries in cash

    at the end of each month.

    At night

    she stays up late

    designing and cutting

    baby clothes

    to give to seamstresses.

    A few years ago

    she made enough money

    to consider

    buying a car.

    On weekends

    she takes me to market stalls,

    dropping off the clothes

    and trying

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