I will admit straight away that I am not a fan of novels written
in verse. It is all the rage in YA literature right now, and I have
been studiously avoiding most of them because frankly, I just don''t
get it. After reading Inside Out Back Again I think I am
beginning to see the value in this format because this novel just
blew me away. In telling the story of Ha and her flight to America
after the fall of Saigon, the author created images so vivid and
elicited emotions so powerful that for the first time I think I
truly understood what it must have been like to be on one of those
boats that I had only before seen in news footage. I don''t think
this could have been achieved in a standard novel format.
In verse, I could see the beauty of Ha''s papaya tree and feel her
fear of walking into the fourth grade with practically no English.
I could see the humor and sadness in the family''s efforts to fit
into American life and feel outraged at the problems they faced. I
could also appreciate the wisdom and bravery shown by Ha and her
mother as they came to terms with the loss of a father and husband
all the while struggling to fit into a culture that couldn''t have
been more foreign. When Ha finally adopts her mother''s advice and
begins to accept things as "not the same, but not bad" it is a
powerful and hopeful moment.
The author''s ability to portray Ha with such depth of feeling is
what will engage readers. This is a must read both as a means to
introduce an historical period that is given little attention in
this age group and also just because it''s a compelling piece of
fiction.
關於作者：
赖昙荷 Thanhha Lai
1965年（蛇年）出生于越南，家境小康，在家中排行第九，也是家里最小的孩子。越战期间西贡沦陷时，和家人被迫在海上漂流，最后以难民的身份被安置在美国阿拉巴马州。前后花了十年的时间，适应新环境和学习正确的英语文法。曾经在加州《橘郡纪事报》服务了两年，在萌生创作小说的念头后，便辞退了工作。在许多的尝试和取得纽约大学艺术创作硕士的学位后，出版了第一本小说。现任教于纽约新学院大学，平日喜欢跑步、骑自行车、阅读、写作，以及和四岁的孩子一起游戏。
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