A review by bookdragonkatie
Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhhà Lại

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I’ve owned this book for at least 6 years and each year I’ve meant to read it. I’ve always struggled to pick up poetry, but almost always find myself enjoying them as an adult and learning a lot. Finally picked it up this year and I’m so glad I did. It’s a wonderful middle grade free verse poem describing how a Vietnamese family fled Saigon before it fell in 1975 and eventually ending up in Alabama. Based on experiences from the author’s own life, this book was enlightening and heartbreaking. It made me realize just how much I DON’T know about Vietnam and the Vietnam War. I was beyond pissed as I read about how the family was treated before converting to Christianity and more pissed that it took them converting for most people to treat them like people. I hated reading about how our MC, Hà, was treated at school by both her peers and her teacher; how she felt so dumb despite knowing she’s smart, because she trying to prove herself in a language she doesn’t know and to people who already think she’s less. Not only that, but the grieving Hà and her family experiences as they mourn the country they were forced to flee and the father who went missing is truly heartbreaking. The fact that the white, Christian Americans tried to make the family feel grateful for the little bit of so-called compassion they doled out when it suited them when all they wanted to do was be back in their home was absolutely infuriating. This book grabbed hold of my heart and held on tight. Highly recommend reading!
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