Book Review: Inside Out & Back Again

 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lai, T. (2013). Inside out & back again. HarperCollins. ISBN: 0061962791

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

This heartwarming novel is written in verses and was inspired by the Lai’s childhood experiences as a young refugee immigrating to a new country.  Told from the main character’s view point, it tells the story of Ha, who together with her family fled from Vietnam during a time of war and immigrated to the United States. Ha shares her family struggles, stories, and traditions as they face their uncertainty in a new country filled with promise far from the world they knew.  

3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS

After reading the first few pages, I was immediately hooked.  Lai’s writings in this novel are so authentic and heartfelt. Her language and word choices were easy to follow, making this appropriate for young readers and easy to understand. Additionally, having some background knowledge on this novel, and understanding that it was based on Lai’s personal experiences really added credibility to her verses. Living in a border city, and seeing first-hand how many individuals immigrate into our country made this book very relatable.  For example, many who have immigrated to this country from Mexico face similar situations to what Lai described in her verses like being separated from their family and the daily financial challenges. One of the struggles shared was learning the grammar rules, which was one of my favorite parts. Although this part was not inspirational or heartbreaking, it was authentic and real.

*If you are comfortable with the topic of immigration, this book is a great resource to teach students about the daily struggles many immigrates face.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Newbery Honor Book

National Book Award Winner

Starred review in Booklist: “both humorous and heartbreaking”

Starred review in Kirkus Review: “An enlightening, poignant and unexpectedly funny novel in verse.”

Starred review in School Library Journal: “Ha’s voice is full of humor and hope.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*Guide students on a discussion about some of the struggles with immigration. (If students are unfamiliar with the topic, build some background knowledge through research). Compare some of the discussion points to the struggles Ha faced.

* Together with students, create a KWL chart about the Vietnam War. Have students research the war. Why was that war so significant to history?

*Other books about immigration:

Phi, B., Bui, T., & Fu, J. (2017). A different pond. Capstone Young Readers.

ISBN: 1623708036

Ryan, P. M. (2002). Esperanza rising. Scholastic Press. ISBN: 9780439120425

Yang, K. (2019). Front desk. Scholastic Inc. ISBN: 1338157825

Review completed for SHSU MLA course

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