Verse Novel: Inside Out & Back Again

Title: Inside Out and Back Again
Author: Thanhha Lai
Publication: 2011

At first, I thought I wouldn't like reading the verse novel because sometimes I find it hard to grasp the literary elements of poetry and it's hidden meanings or symbolism. However, I actually found my book to be pretty easy and quick to read. I found it to be enjoyable and while it was poetry, the free verse was written in an easy way to understand. I think these books would be great for struggling or apprehensive readers. Verse novels would not be as intimidating to them because the pages don't have as much text as normal novels.

Lai writes in an easy, free-flowing way so that it's more like reading a story just in shorter form. So basically it's as if she wrote a story and then took out like half the words. It's like reading a shorter version of a full length novel. I found it quite enjoyable and actually not as difficult as I thought to read. She uses great diction in her verses to help portray certain scenarios like on page 31 when the author is describing how her mother would feel if her father returned. Her trick is to not just say she would be "happy," instead she shows what the mom would look like so the reader can infer and imagine for themselves how she would respond.

For example, "Mostly I wish father would appear in our doorway and make Mother's lips curl upward, lifting them from a permanent frown of worries" (Lai, 31). 

Throughout her book, Lai also weaves in history in a way that's easy to understand. She talks about the Vietnam War and how her family escaped it for safety in America. She describes the tough transition their family has adjusting to life in America, especially rural Alabama. The main character, Ha, based off the author real life journey, experiences many hardships while in America, especially with bullies. In reading this book, students would be able to gain a better sense of understanding for immigrants. Most are just trying to escape unsafe conditions of their homeland. We need to be accepting of immigrants who are coming for a better life and need to put ourselves in their shoes. What if America was in a state of emergency and we had to move to Europe, Vietnam, or Africa...would we want them to be accepting of us or bully us?

In my classroom, I would teach this book with a history lesson on the Vietnam War. I think it is a crucial part of history that students need to come to understand. I would also have them create their own family tree, journal or scrapbook, like the book recommends. Hopefully in reading this book, it would get them thinking about their family tree and background. Therefore, they would be interested in researching more about their own heritage. I would have them present these to the class so that we can all learn a little more about each other.