Inside Out and Back Again

Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a beautiful, beautifully written story. This is based on the author's life as a young girl in Saigon, South Vietnam, just at the end of the Vietnamese War, and takes us all the way to Alabama. Ha's father, an officer in the their navy, has been missing, and her mother is trying to keep a roof over their heads, and food on the table for her and her three brothers. As the Communist troops draw closer, they realize they have to leave. With Canada, France or the USA as their choices, the family votes on the USA. They are sponsored by a kindly man from Alabama, who has a rather unkindly wife. Ha finds herself in school, an outcast, not speaking the language, and with some very mean children to deal with.  With it's simple, sparing style, the author gives us a glimpse into this very important year in Ha's life. A very quick read, but very memorable.


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