Inside Out & Back Again
Ratings24
Average rating4
[10 stars ⭐️.]
This will forever be an enjoyable read for me. Every time I read it, it's like it gets better & better❤️.
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Reread #1: I can never get enough of this book. It..just does it every time
A beautiful story of family and change and how hard it is to be an immigrant. Gorgeous!
I like to occasionally dip into some middle grades, especially award winners but I'm thoroughly at an age where it just feels more or less a waste of my reading time. Not because they're bad by any means but more so I'm years out of the age range and I find next to no enjoyment while reading them unless they're truly special at this point.
It's the end of the long Vietnam War and Ha and her family live in Vietnam. It's a beautiful place, despite the war going on all around them, with delicious food and lush gardens. Ha does brilliant work in school and she has a wonderful, close-knit family. It's a small Eden in the midst of the terrible war.
Then the family cannot put things off any longer; the country they love is collapsing and they must leave Vietnam. The family escapes on a packed boat and is taken in by a cowboy in the American South and life becomes truly surreal for Ha.
A wonderful book that is deeply sad and wildly hopeful.
Summary: This novel is written in poetic verse and tells the story of a young girl who comes to America as a refugee with her mother and brothers. The book chronicles her struggles to fit in and survive in her new home all while attempting to maintain her cultural heritage.
I know so very little about this time period. History class never made it this far by the end of the year, but I imagine that anyone in a similar situation would be able to relate to the main character's story. I think this is one of those reads that opens a reader's mind and heart and creates the reader empathy I am always on about.
This book was perfect.
It's a YA/middle grade book — written in verse — telling the story of a 10-year-old girl and her family leaving Saigon during the Vietnam War and emigrating to America.
I can't recommend this one highly enough, and thank you very much to Bonnie for recommending it. It was wonderful, and I loved it.