Children's Literature

VERSE NOVEL

INSIDE OUT AND BACK AGAIN



Lai, Thanhha. Inside Out & Back Again. New York: Harper, 2011.

Inside Out and Back Again is a year in the life of Ha, a 10-year-old Vietnamese refugee, trying to make sense of the world around her.  This verse novel, written by Thanhha Lai, chronicles her journey from Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War, through the difficulties adapting to new surroundings, to finally feeling as if she somewhat belongs.

The journal format lends itself well to the verse novel, allowing words to flow rhythmically in a free verse style.  The table of contents explains the four parts of the story – Saigon, At Sea, Alabama, and From Now On - and lists the titles Lai gives to each day, making it possible for the reader to go back to specific points in her life easily.  The emotional impact of the poems in this book is strong, allowing readers to feel the angst, betrayal, fear, and courage of a young girl; perhaps readers will be taken back to moments in their own lives when they had similar feelings.  Lai uses similes and metaphors throughout the book, creating snippets for readers to taste and see and feel as they read the words on the page.  When Lai writes, “Our family sticks together like wet pages,” readers can see exactly what she is describing.  Many of the scenes are able to jump off the pages and into the hearts of the reader, allowing readers to keep a little piece of this young girl with them, somehow making her story   It is easy to imagine the feelings of being in a new place, meeting people who are not easily accepting of the newcomer, and not being able to communicate. 

a part of their own story.

I found myself chuckling out loud as I read about the rules of plurals in the English language.  First, “Whoever invented English must have loved snakes.”  As she progresses with her grammar, “Whoever invented English should be bitten by a snake.”  Such honest thoughts from a young girl’s struggles have a way of wiggling their way into the readers' memories of their own experiences.

"Wishes"

I wish

Brother Khôi wouldn’t

keep inside

how he endures

the hours in school,

that Mother wouldn’t

hide her bleeding fingers,

that Brother Quang wouldn’t

be so angry after work.

I wish

our cowboy could be persuaded

to buy a horse

that I could be invisible

until I can talk back,

that English could be learned

without so many rules.

I wish

Father would appear

in my class

speaking beautiful English

as he does French and Chinese

and hold out his hand

for mine.

Mostly

I wish

I were

still

smart.

                                                            September 11

Before reading this book:

Complete a KWL chart with students, asking what they know about the

Vietnam War and what questions they have.  Some students may never have heard of this war, so it is important to give them a little background.  Without some knowledge, this book will have less of an impact. 

Sharing the picture book, The Colour of Home, by Mary Hoffman, about a first graders first days of school in the United States after leaving Somalia.  This will give them a short simple account of a refugees first days in a new country, helping them see the story from Inside Out and Back Again.

Hoffman, Mary. The Colour of Home. Illustrated by Karin Littlewood. London: Frances Lincoln, 2002.

Follow-up:

Read the poem "Wishes" again.  Ask students to write their own “I Wish” poems, using lines and stanzas to create the poetic structure.