Inside Out & Back Again

Thanhha Lai

With so many books about refugees on bookshelves currently, it is refreshing to read one with a slightly different tone. This beautiful story told in free verse is about Ha, who, when the Vietnamese war arrives, has to flee Saigon for America. The verse format allows Ha’s emotions to be deeply felt as she tries to come to terms with the English language, the strange food and the stares and comments of her new classmates.

The frustrations that Ha feels when a new way of life conspires to make her look unintelligent are a good reminder of how mindful we all need to be when welcoming new people into our lives.

Information about how to write your own family history and how the author felt arriving in America as a child is an interesting afterword.

Published by Puffin, 248 pages

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