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Inside Out and Back Again
Author: Thanhha Lai
Published in 2011 by HarperCollins
*Middle Grade
Inside Out and Back Again is the compelling journey of a family’s immigration told from the perspective of a young girl in free-verse poetry. Her story is authentic and honest as it is inspired by the personal experiences of the author from her childhood as a refugee. When the Vietnam War reaches her home, Hà and her family must leave Saigon for a better life in Alabama. They are forced to leave behind their friends, their traditions, and all they have ever known. Hà struggles to adjust to her new life as she faces loneliness, discomfort, and alienation at her new school, but she is able to find comfort in a caring teacher who had lost a son in Vietnam. This book is an accessible and powerful story of courage and strength that offers a genuine perspective of immigration.
*Newberry Honor Book
Additional Resources:
Author Thanhha Lai interview with School Library Journal:
http://www.slj.com/2012/01/interviews/the-inside-story-thanhha-lai/#_
Author Thanhha Lai interview with Publishing Perspectives:
http://publishingperspectives.com/2011/12/thanhha-lai-from-wartime-saigon-to-the-national-book-awards/
Author Thanhha Lai’s non-profit organization Viet Kids:
https://www.thanhhalai.com/viet-kids/
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