 |
| Photo by: L. Propes |
But what of the refugees? Vietnamese refugees' history and their stories have largely been untold in popular literature in the United States' collective effort to leave that period of time behind. Thanhha Lai's novel-length poetry collection Inside Out & Back Again admirably fills this void. This 2011 Newberry Honor book and 2012 National Book Award winner is written from the perspective of Ha, a 10 year-old girl, Lai draws upon her own experiences living in Saigon in the waning days of the Vietnam War, her family's subsequent escape, time in refugee camps, and eventual resettlement in Montgomery, Alabama. The book is divided into three parts: "Saigon", "At Sea", and "Alabama", corresponding the the significant places Ha and her family live over the course of the year. The aptly named "At Sea" not only covers the period of time Ha's family spent on the boat they boarded to escape Vietnam, but the time they spent adrift in two different refugee camps -- one in Guam and one in Florida. Each poem is titled and given a corresponding date, so the reader can easily follow Ha and her family's journey from Saigon to Montgomery. The book begins on Tet, the Vietnamese lunar New Year, in 1975 and ends on Tet in 1976.
The story is compelling, told in short, free-verse poems that mimic the cadence of the Vietnamese language (Lai 2011). In an interview at the end of the book, Lai explains that since the character of Ha thinks in Vietnamese, the rhythm of the poem should echo the rhythm of the language, even though it's written in English (Lai 2011). Lai's language is direct, descriptive, and packs an emotional impact in the spare, unvarnished words of loss, longing, and at the end, hope. The shorter phrases indicate the family's struggles with the tide of emotions behind their words. The poems flow freely as Ha's stream-of-consciousness thoughts rattle in her head, but the pauses between the tragic, thoughtful, or apprehensive moments, shown as a separate, shorter stanza, make their imprint on the reader in a stronger manner than if Lai had not set those thoughts apart from the others.
Ha's vivid descriptions of her life in Saigon and beyond are evocative and skillfully paint an image for the reader. In "American Address", Hai neatly contrasts Ha's life in Saigon to her life in Montgomery, detailing the wonder Ha feels at the conveniences of her new home in Montgomery (a gas stove, the shower, a washing machine), and the scorn Ha heaps upon the cast-offs her family's sponsor's friends have donated. It's a subtle, yet sharply pointed, critique of American habits of donation to the less fortunate in that people often give the unwanted, mis-matched, and barely useable detritus of their lives. The poems about Ha's struggles to learn the ins and outs of the English language will resonate with anyone who's ever tried to learn a foreign language. It might especially resonate with children who are immigrants themselves, familiar with the feeling that others think they're unintelligent because their words and ideas aren't formed in the perfect verb tenses and adjectives of English (or the language of the country of immigration). The poem where Ha finally finds equal footing with her classmates, "Smart Again" reinforces the idea that numbers know no language. Ha is able to successfully solve a math problem that her nemesis could not. Ha's feelings of pride, accomplishment, and joy shine from the page, giving Ha, an intelligent and observant child, a brief moment of normalcy.
Lai weaves a poignant thread throughout the story about Ha's father, who disappeared nine years before the beginning of the novel on a mission for the Navy. The unspoken thought is that he is dead, but the family has never received confirmation of the fact and marks a slow progression to acceptance that he is dead, and probably has been since his capture.
Lai writes Ha as a typical child. She deliberately buys slightly smaller amounts of the items her mother sends her to purchase at the market in Saigon. Not so much that her mother will notice, but just enough so there is money left over to buy a treat for herself. She privately detests her desk mate at school for being smarter than she is. Ha is annoyed by her older brothers. (She has three aged from 21 to 14.) She hates being told she can't do things because she's a girl and she often does the opposite of what her mother tells her to do, because she's testing her limits and independence. Ha's brothers and mother are given less-clear personalities, but it doesn't necessarily affect the overall tone of the book, considering it's written from the perspective of a 10 year-old. Further, the focus of the story is Ha, and her mother and brothers are supporting characters in her narrative.
This book can be part of a unit in an English class about personal narrative, general poetry. It could also be an excellent source for a history class studying the Vietnam War. It can also be a good source for a unit about immigration.
Other books students might want to read with Inside Out & Back Again include: Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Meyers, Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell, The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland, Weeping Under the Same Moon by Jana Laiz, A Piece of My Heart by Keith Walker, The Wall by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Ronald Himler, or What Should We Tell Our Children About Vietnam? by Bill McCloud.
Another book that isn't necessarily poetry, nor does it share the same topic, but could be used in a lesson with Inside Out & Back Again is Li Cunxin's memoir Mao's Last Dancer. The parallels of the former Houston Ballet and Australian Ballet dancer's story with Ha's would make a compelling class discussion. They share many of the same struggles to learn English and fit in the often chaotic American culture.
You can find an interview of Thanhha Lai at the National Book Awards here. A couple of videos of Lai reading an excerpt from Inside Out & Back Again here.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Based on Lai's personal experience, this first novel captures a child-refugees struggle with rare honesty. Written in accessible, short free-verse poems, Ha's immediate narrative describes her mistakes -- both humorous and heartbreaking -- with grammar, customs, and dress... readers will be moved by Ha's sorrow as they recognize the anguish of being the outcast who spends lunchtime hiding in the bathroom... The elemental details of Ha's struggle dramatize a foreigner's experience of alienation. And even as she begins to shape a new life, there is no easy comfort: her father is still gone." -- Hazel Rochman, Booklist
"Told in verse, each passage is given a date so readers can easily follow the progression of time. Sensory language describing the rich smells and tastes of Vietnam draws readers in and contrasts with Ha's perceptions of bland American food, and the immediacy of the narrative will appeal to those who do not enjoy historical fiction. Even through her frustration with her new life and the annoyances of her three older brothers, her voice is full of humor and hope." -- Jennifer Rothschild, School Library Journal
"Narrating in sparse free-verse poems, 10-year-old Ha brings a strong, memorable voice to the immigrant experience as her family moves from war-torn South Vietnam to Alabama in 1975... The taut portrayal of Ha's emotional life is especially poignant as she cycles from feeling smart in Vietnam to struggling in the States, and finally regains academic and social confidence. A series of poems about English grammar offer humro and a lens into the difficulties of adjusting to a new language and customs." -- Publishers Weekly--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Works Cited:
Inside out and back again. 2011. Publishers Weekly 258 (5) (January 31): 49-50.
Lai, Thanhha. 2011. Inside out & back again. New York: HarperCollins Children's Books.
Rochman, Hazel. 2001. Inside out and back again. Booklist 107 (9/10) (January): 88.
Rothschild, Jennifer. 2011. Inside out & back again. School Library Journal 58 (3) (March): 164-5.
Thank you for suggesting my book! ...
ReplyDelete