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mudder17's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, 5 stars for sure! I am not usually a reader of poetry/verse, but the beautiful cover and the subject matter of the story caught my eye, and I decided to give it a try. I am so glad I did. But a word of warning. Although this is a beautiful book, it's also heartbreaking and you find yourself feeling sad not just for this family, but for our country, especially in today's climate. I grew up in the 70s and 80s as a child of immigrants, but my father came as a student and my mom took jobs wherever she could. We experienced some prejudice and racism, but not nearly to the extent that Hà and her family did. Moreover, my dad came as a graduate student, not as refugees and we settled (eventually) in Chicago, rather than in the south. Still, I read about what is still happening in our country and I'm sad that things still haven't grown much past what is talked about in this book, at least in some parts of our country. While this story is about this one family and about Hà in particular, there are many general words of wisdom that are passed along in this short book. When the story finished, I wished there was more. It was that good. I think this would be a wonderful book for a middle school English or Social Studies class to study. I ended up listening to this and reading it at the same time, and hearing the narrator say the Vietnamese words with the correct tones was helpful for me. I can easily recommend both book and audio.
jkorth's review against another edition
3.0
A shorter book that I teach in school. Obviously geared for a younger audience, but it has some quiet poignant moments. A tale of the hardships of a young girl forced into refugee status because of the Vietnam War, this book reminds us how to stay strong in the face of adversity and to remember that everyone is fighting unknown inner battles.
thekissballad's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
I had to skip giving a star rating because I don't think an audiobook is the best format to consume this touching story. Not that Doan Ly wasn't great, just that the verse / diary-like format doesn't work well for me, and it made me dislike the book, despite enjoying how moving and reflective the story actually is.
helensadler55's review against another edition
5.0
A narrative in verse based on the author's real experience of being a refugee from Vietnam in 1975. This is a story full of emotion and realities of the life of those who flee to a new land for a better life. It is a story worth telling and hearing. Loved it.
traci_k_wallace's review against another edition
4.0
had to read this with my students. it gave us very good content and brought up a lot of interesting and provoking conversations. loved it.
hmn's review against another edition
5.0
Heart wrenching in its hope, frustration, and verse. I'll never be able to eat a papaya without thinking of this book, see a sailor's uniform without feeling the ache for family, listen to the laugh of ha-ha without my blood boiling, and experience the roar of a motorcycle with the absolute confidence in my family's ability to love and protect me.
laurafs325's review against another edition
3.0
For the first time I listened to a book that would have been better read. The story was good, but the narration was distracting.