Inside Out and Back Again

This was a beautiful book and audiobook; I know it was written as a novel in verse but it didn't sound much different from a regular book; the narrator was wonderful. It's the story of Ha, a young girl who flees Saigon with her mother and three older brothers toward the end of the Vietnam war. The family winds up in Alabama, of all places, where Ha struggles to learn the English language and American culture. The family's sponsor - their "cowboy" - is nice, and a kind neighbor tutors Ha in English. Ha's father has been missing since the beginning of the war, and toward the end of the book, Ha's mother concludes that he will not return, so they have a ceremony for him.

This is a great piece of recent-historical fiction and a portrait of show more the difficulties of immigration and culture clash. Ha encounters racism, ignorance, and bullying, but she also finds a few friends, support from her brothers, and ways to fight back and feel smart. Her new life is filled with both wonders and disappointments big and small (sugary dried mango instead of fresh). show less

I thought Inside Out & Back Again was an incredibly powerful and poignant read. The way Thanhhà Lai uses free verse to tell Hà’s story really lets her emotions shine through in a way that feels raw and real. I was particularly moved by how the book captures the pain and confusion of being uprooted from everything familiar, yet also the quiet strength Hà finds within herself as she learns to navigate her new life.

What really stood out to me was how the story doesn’t shy away from the difficulties of the immigrant experience—things like feeling alienated, struggling with language barriers, and facing prejudice—but it also highlights the small moments of hope and connection that keep Hà going. It felt like a really honest show more portrayal of growing up in a new place while still holding onto the past. Definitely a book I would recommend, especially for anyone looking to understand the complexity of immigration and identity. show less

Inspired by the author’s own childhood, Inside Out & Back Again is a lyrical middle-grade novel in verse. It follows Ha, a 10-year-old girl who flees war-torn Saigon with her family in 1975 and resettles in Alabama. Through free-verse poetry, Ha navigates language barriers, bullying, cultural displacement, and grief—and ultimately finds strength, hope, and identity in her new life. A poignant and beautifully written story of resilience, identity, and belonging in the immigrant experience.
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Simply amazing. I was swept up in all the feels as a little girl flees Vietnam just before the fall of Saigon with her family, led by her strong but all-too-human mother. Lai effectively communicates all the confusion, uncertainty and compromises facing a refugee in an alien land.

I'm not a fan of poetry, which this claims to be, but near as I can tell in this case that just means hitting the return key in odd places and paring the story down to only the most essential sentences.

I read this for the 2019 Johnston, Iowa, Community Read.

This novel in verse follow Ha, living in Viet Nam with her family in 1975, after the U.S. pulled out of the war. Her father has been missing since she was a baby, but they still hope for his return. As their poverty increases, her mother decides to move the family to Alabama as refugees.

Ha is a wonderful, reflective character and the narrative progression over the course of one year illustrates first how rich her culture is and her intelligence, before she comes to the U.S. and feels "dumb" not knowing the language. She deals with poverty, being uprooted, school bullies and learning a whole new way of life with spunk and frustration in equal measure. At the same time, I found myself wanting more, somehow. A story that lasted more than a show more year, maybe, or more character development and details that you can't get in verse. But that says more about me as a reader, I think, than it does about the book. This would be an excellent introduction for kids to the time period and the immigrant experience - not too heavy, but certainly universal enough to promote empathy. show less

This book was from the author's own personal account of her experience immigrating to the United States of America; this is her story about her own experiences along the way. Her father was called to fight in Vietnam, and never returns, Ha's mother decides to move her family to America. The many experiences are from a child's perspective, which makes it all the more heart wrenching, and heart warming as well. Ha has big dreams and an ideal perspective of what America will be like, only to find out that America didn't feel the same about her nor her people. She would experience much discrimination, and racism from Americans as she learns to navigate her new life.
I love this book because it humanizes Vietnamese people, and gives a sense show more of compassion for the reader. The Vietnamese people were dehumanized in many films, and by our own military and their accounts, which also serve as an example of the dangers of the single story. Children especially need to see things from different perspective, and this is an absolutely wonderful book that offers exactly that. show less

Audiobook performed by Doan Ly


Ha is the 10-year-old daughter of a Vietnamese Navy Officer who has gone missing while on a mission. As the Americans pull out of the war and Saigon is about to fall, Ha and her family escape the country via ship. Eventually they gain a sponsor, and the family tries to start over in the USA, a strange land, where the language, food, customs and religion are all different what they are used to.

This middle-grade novel focusing on the immigrant experience is told entirely in verse, and I applaud Lai for how much she manages to convey in so few words. Ha is a strong little girl, focusing on becoming a star pupil at school (as she had done in Saigon), trying to make friends, to learn the customs and traditions show more of American celebrations like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas, trying to NOT get beaten by bullies. Ha watches her mother work a menial job and slowly acknowledge that her husband is likely dead. In one heart-wrenching poem the child admits:
No one would believe me
but at times
I would choose
wartime in Saigon
over
peacetime in Alabama

Still the family perseveres, and makes their way in this new land, celebrating each accomplishment, and giving thanks for the opportunity to succeed. It’s a moving story and wonderfully told. It is at once complex and straightforward, nuanced, and simple.

The author note at the end of the work explains that much of what happens to Ha in the novel actually happened to the author.

The book won the National Book Award, and was also named a Newbery Honor Book.

The audiobook is performed by Doan Ly. She has a wonderful delivery for this book. Great pace and she’s believable as a young girl. I did read at least half the book in text format, however because I was anxious to finish it. show less