Inside Out and Back Again

Inside Out and Back Again is a touching book about a young girl named Hà who has to leave Vietnam and move to the U.S. because of the war. The story is written in short poems, which makes it easy to read but still very emotional. You really feel what Hà is going through—missing her home, learning a new language, and trying to fit in. It's sad at times, but also full of hope and strength. Great for kids and adults. I learned a lot and felt a lot. Highly recommend!

Let me start by saying I am normally very wary of books on this subject matter. I always assume it's going to be some sort of Joy Luck Club-esque bundle of trials and tribulations that no one is willing to criticize or rate poorly, because how can you criticize another's experience through a cross-cultural situation? Truth be told, these stories can be very redundant. Perhaps not to someone wholly ignorant of that culture, but to someone with my background, they become tiresome quickly. I am also not a fan of poetry. Put all this together and I was absolutely floored when I picked it up, read it, and loved it. This book deserves every award and word of praise. The use of free verse was highly effective. The story was engaging with a good balance of heartache and humor. I gave this book to my mother who also escaped Vietnam with my father that same year. Her English is good, but she can only read comfortably at a middle school level so she was able to follow this book and enjoyed it immensely. Her experience, though different, had a great number of similarities. She loved how it also highlighted the simple beauty of life in Vietnam-- something that is often neglected when remembering this time. This book opened up an opportunity for me to ask more about this dramatic period in my parent's life. Something I had always been afraid to inquire about-- fearing it would bring back bad memories they would rather forget. Instead I was able to re-experience Kim Ha's story, but this time through my mother's eyes. That alone was absolutely priceless. This novel obviously has a special meaning for me, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to ANYONE. It is a phenomenal piece of writing that can stand on it's own. Oh and for anyone who's interested in hearing more about this topic, there is a TED talk called "My Immigration Story" by Tan Le you might enjoy.

The end of the Vietnam War comes alive for young readers in this thoughtful book of prose poetry. Ha, the poet, is a ten year old girl living in Saigon with her mother and three older brothers as 1975 dawns. We follow her heartbreaking, hopeful journey over the course of a year: the war creeps closer, the Communists close in, and Ha and her family are fortunate enough to make it onto a South Vietnamese naval boat turned refugee ship, but they must leave their home - and their tenuous connection to Ha's father, who was captured by the Communists over 8 years ago - behind. Eventually, the family arrives in America. The author, who in truth is telling much of her own personal history in this book, refuses the temptation to tie the book up with happy endings. Instead, we read of the many challenges, especially racist words and actions, that Ha and her family face as they adjust to life in America. At the same time, though, we also learn of the humane and compassionate people who help her family settle in. Most importantly, Ha tells her story in an unflinching voice, revealing a robust range of emotional truths that run the gamut from anger and shame through hope and excitement all the way to bewilderment and frustration as Ha labors to be understood and to understand the world into which she has been thrust. This book is an excellent choice for middle grade students studying America's war history, life as a refugee, the cultural realities of the US in the mid-1970's, or who are learning how to use evocative details and emotional commentary in order to keep a reader engaged. Terrific work!

Loved how it is written. Such an innocent story and so well captured. Heartbreaking at a times and funny too. Glad to have stumbled upon this gem.

A metà tra diario e poesia, ci racconta la fuga da Saigon fino in Alabama della piccola Ha, dieci anni, e della sua famiglia composta dalla madre e dai tre fratelli maggiori. Il padre è disperso in guerra dopo essere stato catturato dai soldati del nord, e anche gli altri famigliari erano rimasti bloccati nel Vietnam del nord quando era scoppiata la guerra. Assistiamo alla vita quotidiana di questa famiglia vietnamita durante gli ultimi mesi di guerra, tra povertà e bombardamenti. Li seguiamo durante la fuga in nave verso gli alleati americani. E siamo con loro mentre tentano di iniziare una nuova vita nell'aliena Alabama, in un mondo completamente diverso dal loro per lingua, costumi, tradizioni, usanze, aspetto. Siamo con loro mentre cercano di mantenere la dignità, mentre cercano di integrarsi, mentre lottano contro le incomprensioni e le difficoltà. Il tutto narrato magistralmente e poeticamente dai brevi appunti poetici di Ha, che ovviamente è basata sull'infanzia dell'autrice. Una bellissima lettura.

Written in poetry-style prose, so a quick read. I picked it up intending to read it over a few nights, like other books, but couldn't put it down. Had to read the whole thing as it was so easy to get immersed in the protagonist, who is a 10-year-old Vietnamese refugee. Highly recommended for all ages 8 and up.

I've never read a book of poetry cover-to-cover (Jelly Belly excepted) but this is so much more than poetry. It stands as I would say the defining novel of the Vietnamese immigrant experience in the US (not that I've read any other). It's an easy read that I would say is very relatable to anyone over 30 and probably many in their teens. It tackles tough issues without ever seeming preachy. Should be required reading for people convicted of hate crimes as part of their rehabilitation. Amongst the tear-evoking memories of the author are moments of humour, love, and kindness that makes it a bit of an emotional roller-coaster, but one well worth the price of admission.

Dieses Buch habe ich im Januar zu meinem “Favoriten des Monats” gekürt – aus gutem Grund. Es ist ein trauriges, schönes, ehrliches, poetisches Buch, über das man noch einige Zeit nachdenkt, nachdem man die letzte Seite gelesen hat. Hà ist 10 Jahre alt als der Vietnam Krieg ihr zu Hause erreicht: Saigon. Bis dahin hatte sie eine glückliche Kindheit, liebte ihre Familie, Freunde und vor allem ihren Papayabaum hinten im Garten, den sie selbst gepflanzt hat. Doch als die Stadt droht, in den Kriegswirren unterzugehen und den Kommunisten in die Hände zu fallen, sind sie und ihre Familie gezwungen zu fliehen. Der Vater wird schon lange vermisst und so macht sich die Mutter alleine auf, ihre Kinder in Sicherheit zu bringen, wohl wissend, dass sie ihren Ehemann wohl nie wiedersehen wird. Jedes Familienmitglied darf nur einen persönlichen Gegenstand mitnehmen, der Rest wird vernichtet, damit er nicht den Soldaten in die Hände fällt. “I choose my doll, once lent to a neighbor who left it outside, where mice bit her left cheek and the right thumb. I love her more for her scars.” Nach einem gefahrvollen Weg bis zum Hafen erreichen sie schließlich ein Schiff und hoffen, mit ihm das Land verlassen zu können. Die Überfahrt ist lange und gefährlich, Platzmangel und Hunger zerren an den Nerven, doch wie durch ein Wunder gelingt die Flucht nach Amerika. Aber dort wird nicht alles automatisch besser, dann der Kampf der Familie geht weiter. Sie sind Fremde im Alabama der 70er Jahre, sie sehen anders aus, sprechen anders und essen anders… “Inside Out & Back Again” ist aus der Sicht der kleinen Hà geschrieben und daher ist die Wirkung umso stärker. Aus kindlicher Perspektive wirkt der Krieg, die Vertreibung, der Neuanfang umso grausamer. Mit klaren, ehrlichen Worten beschreibt Hà die Gefahren, ihre Gefühle und Ängste, die Schwierigkeiten auf See und die Probleme, mit der sie in der neuen Heimat zu kämpfen hat. Aber auch ihr Ärger und ihre Wut auf die Welt und die Menschen, die ihnen all das angetan habe, finden ihren Weg nach draußen. War sie in Vietnam immer eine der besten in der Schule, muss sie jetzt von vorne anfangen. “I’m furious, Unable to explain I already learned Fractions And how to purify River water. So this is What dumb Feels like. I hate, hate, hate it.” Interessant auch Hàs Beobachtungen der amerikanischen Kultur, ihre Schwierigkeiten mit dem für sie widerlichen Essen, der komischen Sprache oder der Ausblick auf das Leben generell. Manches ist für Kinder so viel klarer als für Erwachsene: “Mother says, People share when they know they have escaped hunger. Shouldn’t people share because there is hunger?” Zum Glück ist das Buch aber nicht immer nur düster, Hàs Wortwitz und Sarkasmus lassen einen beim Lesen auch oft schmunzeln und das tut gut in dieser Umgebung. Die Geschichte wird in freien Versen erzählt, in einer Art Tagebuchform. Die Autorin selbst sagt darüber: “I thought in Vietnamese in terms of images, then translated those images into English in a way that left the rhythm of the original language intact. The Vietnamese I know, influenced by my mother, is naturally poetic, rhythmic, melodic….I was able to cut many unneeded words, leaving just the core, like boiling down sap to make syrup.” Normalerweise habe ich so meine Schwierigkeiten mit dieser Art von Literatur, aber hier hat es wunderbar gepasst. Die Schönheit der Sprache bildet einen grausamen Kontrast zum Kriegsgeschehen, unter dem so viele Millionen Menschen leiden mussten. Dieses kleine große Buch spricht so viele Themen an, Krieg, Verlust, Exil, Schuldgefühle, die Beziehung zwischen Geschwistern, die Trauer über den Verlust des Ehepartners, Vorurteile, Opferbereitschaft. Man muss nicht selbst durch die Kriegswirren gegangen sein, um wenigstens ein wenig zu verstehen, was das alles für ein zehnjähriges Kind bedeutet. “Inside Out & Back Again” ist eine wunderbare Schullektüre für Kinder der Mittelstufe. Es ist ein einfaches Englisch, leicht verständlich, aber entfaltet dennoch eine besondere Wirkung. Gerade für Klassen mit Kindern, die vielleicht ein ähnliches Schicksal hinter sich haben, könnte es hilfreich sein, um beiderseitiges Verständnis aufzubauen. Das Buch hat autobiographische Züge, die Autorin selbst floh als Kind vor dem Krieg aus Vietnam in die Vereinigten Staaten. Zu wissen, dass vieles, was beschrieben wird, tatsächlich so geschehen ist, macht die Lektüre um einiges schwieriger. Doch gleichzeitig ist das Buch ein Zeugnis dafür, dass diese Menschen ihrem Schicksal getrotzt, gekämpft und es geschafft haben. Zurecht hat Lais Buch so viele Auszeichnungen und Preise erhalten, auch von mir gibt es fünf Sterne und eine klare Leseempfehlung. Schade, dass es noch nicht auf Deutsch erschienen ist. “This year I hope I truly learn to fly-kick not to kick anyone so much as to fly.”