Comments on Reading Everywhere: Book Review: Inside Out and Back Again, by Thanhha Lai

I had no idea this was written in verse! The book ...

2013-08-27T19:45:41.649-07:00

I had no idea this was written in verse! The book is listed on an IL library list so I definitely plan on reading it. Thanks for the review.

Marlene Detierro (SEO Austin)

Thanks for the comment, Katie! I'll look forwa...

2012-01-11T00:25:06.874-08:00

Thanks for the comment, Katie! I'll look forward to reading your review of this wonderful book. I agree with your thoughts on it. I loved that there was humor mixed in with the suspense and sadness.

Oh, and thanks for the compliment on my scarf! Haha, I'm always excited for cold days in Southern California so I can actually wear it.

I just finished this and wrote my review! (Coming ...

2012-01-10T12:21:31.039-08:00

I just finished this and wrote my review! (Coming later in the week :) I thought IOaBA was awesome for so many reasons: It's historical fiction that is totally accessible to young kids, it begins as an extremely sad story but is still told with humor, and the poetic verse is the icing on the cake. So, so good. PS: I like your scarf :)

Thanks for commenting! The verse format really add...

2011-12-09T14:06:28.683-08:00

Thanks for commenting! The verse format really adds a lot to this book. I was fascinated to read about her writing process in this Publisher's Weekly article:

Lai wrote Inside Out & Back Again in a spare, poetic prose style meant to reflect in English what it's like to think in Vietnamese. "Vietnamese is so lyrical, and 80% percent of it is derived from Chinese, which is a language built from pictures not words. So this format and voice came out of that desire."

I've been interested in reading this book for ...

2011-12-07T10:17:56.561-08:00

I've been interested in reading this book for a while. Poetry can be the most appropriate and meaningful medium to tell a difficult story.