Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai

My first book of this year's Battle of the Books is a fictional diary in free verse. In an interview, the author, Thannha Lai, says that the story of Hà is based on her real life. She immigrated from Vietnam to US during the war in Saigon just like Hà.

Where is home

No one would believe me / but at times / I would choose / wartime in Saigin / over / peacetime in Alabama.

Hà loves Vietnam, her life there, and her papaya tree. However, the war gets closer to the city every day. Life becomes very difficult: there is lack of food and supplies. So, her mother decides they have to go away to keep her children safe from the war. They cannot take much and leave a lot of their beloved belongings behind. Even photos.

After a long and dangerous boat trip, Hà arrives with family in Alabama in US. In the new country everything is new and strange. She doesn't know English and going to school is very difficult to her. She also looks very different from the other children in her school, and some of them tease her. All these things make Hà feel very unwelcomed.

Violence is not the answer

Hà is very frustrated. She doesn't have any friends. She struggles to learn the new culture and customs. Everything is so different and unfamiliar.

Oh, my daughter, / at times we have to fight, / but preferably / not with your fists.

In time Hà learns how to live in US. She makes new friends who help her get settled in her new country. She finally gets her papaya.

I truly learn / to fly-kick / not to kick anyone / so much as / to fly.

Being written in verse makes the book easy to read. I also felt like I was right in Hà's head. It was so easy to connect to her and understand how she feels.

More research

The Vietnam War lasted from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It involved Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia and it is also known as the American War because South Vietnam was supported by the United States. Many people from Vietnam fleed Saigon as refugees on boats, thus they are called the Boat People. Some of them came to Hong Kong. Today, wars still rage and people still flee their home countries due to war. During the European Refugee Crisis, many people from Syria and North Africa take a risky trip in crowded boats to Europe.

1. This is a June 8, 1972 photo of South Vietnamese forces follow after terrified children, including 9-year-old Kim Phuc, center, as they run down Route 1 near Trang Bang after an aerial napalm attack on suspected Viet Cong hiding places. © Nick Ut — AP.

This photo is mentioned in the book.

2. Vietnamese boat people in Hong Kong arounf 1979 Photo: © William Albert Allard, via Flickr.

3. Asylum seekers and migrants descend from a large fishing vessel used to transport them from Turkey to the Greek island of Lesbos. October 11, 2015. 

© 2015 Zalmaï for Human Rights Watch.