When a ten-year-old is forced to leave Saigon and immigrate, what would she go through?
After having been one of the smartest students in class back home in Saigon, she is at the bottom of the class in Alabama. What would that be like?
Her new classmates can’t understand that her name isn’t Ha, but Hà, with the diacritical mark. How can she stop them from teasing her by saying ‘Ha Ha, Ha Ha’?
In the notes at the end of Inside Out and Back Again, Thanhhà Lai explains why she chose to write the book in verse. When the ten-year-old protagonist Hà is going through such a turbulent time, she would not think or talk in beautiful, formed prose. Her thoughts would be stark, simple, also bringing alive the sense that she is thinking in a language other than English.
It was this simplicity that made the telling so sensitive. Hà is not the perfect protagonist. She pinches her partner in class. She buys little treats for herself with household money that has been entrusted to her. And yet, the reader is drawn to her. Hà’s struggles are real to us.
I remember a conversation about middle-grade heroes at the AFCC, which highlighted the idea that ten-year-olds feel like superheroes. They are not ravaged by self doubt and questions; those seep in much later. It is this optimism that shines through Hà’s character too. Yes, the world is falling apart. Even so, her papaya tree continues to grow. She doesn’t think it’s a huge deal that she has to hide from bullies to eat in the toilet. Her brother looks out for her and they manage. At a tumultuous time, a ten-year-old often has troubles of her own, sometimes unrelated to the bigger picture.
A lovely, poignant story, I loved how Inside Out and Back Again made me smile at the most unexpected places. In a wholly charming way, it showed me that for this ten-year-old, the impossibility of the English language is as much of a struggle as the fall of Saigon and escaping Vietnam by hiding in a cramped boat across the seas.
| Title | Inside Out and Back Again |
| Author | Thanhhà Lai |
| Tags | Historical Fiction, Verse Novel, Middle Grade |
| Rating (out of 5) | 4 |
| Age-group | 9+ |
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