Lai, Thanhha. Inside Out & Back Again. 2011. Harper, 262 pages. $15.99 ISBN: 9780061962783
Plot Summary:
Ha Kim is 10 years old and lives with her mother and three older brothers, Khoi, Vu, and Quang, in Saigon, Vietnam in 1975. Ha’s father was in the navy, but he disappeared 9 years earlier. Ha and her family are poor, but happy even with the loom of the North Vietnam army nearing. Ha’s mother finally decides they must leave Vietnam when the Communist take Saigon. After weeks of drifting in the sea subsisting on decreasing rations of rice and water, in small crowded conditions, the refugees are rescued by the American Navy and transported to Guam.
Ha’s mother decides that the family will restart in America and they are taken to a refugee camp in Florida where they wait for an American to sponsor their family. Finally a car salesman from Alabama sponsors the family and they soon move to Alabama to restart their life. Ha has difficulty adjusting to her new home. She has gone from being smart to being dumb, not always understanding English. The boys in her class tease her for her poor English and for being the only Asian student. Ha’s neighbor, a retired schoolteacher, Miss Washington, tutors Ha in English and helps Ha to deal with her bullies. With the help of the family’s sponsor and Miss Washington Ha and her family make friends and build a new life for themselves in America.
Critical Review:
Lai’s novel Inside Out & Back Again is written in simple flowing verse told in Ha’s voice. Lai has accurately capturedthe immigrant experience, having had a similar childhood to Ha’s. The reader can feel Ha’s intense emotions: her frustration at being treated like she is stupid, anger at being bullied and being the target for racism, and nostalgia for her old home. Ha may have difficulty in her new home at first, but eventually she makes friends and overcomes her bullies. Ha is bring and quickly learns English with the help of Mrs. Washington. While the family ends up alright, they make many sacrifices to make their home in Alabama. The family faces racism at school and in their neighborhood. They sacrifice their beliefs by being Baptized and joining the Southern Baptist Church in order to fit in and be accepted by their neighbors and after a brick was thrown through the family’s front window
Genre:
Historical Fiction
Reading Level:
5th to 7th grades
Awards/Honors:
ALA Notable Children's Book 2012
National Book Award 2011
Newberry Honor Book 2012
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