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    Inside Out & Back Again is the poignant story of a year full of changes, hardships, and victories. Ha's story is told in a series of poems. What did you know about Vietnamese culture before reading the book?

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    Inside Out & Back Again is the poignant story of a year full of changes, hardships, and victories. Ha's story is told in a series of poems. What did you know about Vietnamese culture before reading the book?

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    251 views2 pages

    Inside-Out-And-Back-Again-Discussion Guide

    Uploaded by

    api-288256898
    Inside Out & Back Again is the poignant story of a year full of changes, hardships, and victories. Ha's story is told in a series of poems. What did you know about Vietnamese culture before reading the book?

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
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    of 2

    Inside Out

    & Back Again


    by thanhha lai

    Discussion Guide
    About the Book
    Hs life in Saigon isnt perfect: Her fathers missing and war makes things more
    expensive each day, plus shes the youngest child (and a girl!) in a family of boys. But
    she loves Vietnam, with its tastes and smells, and loves the promise of growing things
    like her papaya tree. When her family joins the refugees to travel to America, H has
    to pretend to like other peoples food, learn English with its inexplicable plurals, and
    fight off other kids on the playground. Inside Out & Back Again is the poignant story
    of her year full of changes, hardships, and small victories.

    Questions for Discussion


    1. Hs story is told in a series of poems. What do you think
    about that? Find examples of different types of poems: For
    instance, find one that tells a story and another that paints a
    picture. Some of the poems have a specific date at the end, but
    others say every day. Why do you think that is?

    7. O
     n the ship, H touches the sailors hairy arm and
    Mother slaps her hand away (p. 95). Why does H take a
    hair? How is her behavior on the ship similar to or different
    from that of the kids at school in Alabama when they notice
    Hs features?

    2. What did you know about Vietnamese culture before


    reading the story? What are some of the things you learned as
    you read?

    8. H describes her American town as clean, quiet loneliness


    (p. 122). How is life in Alabama different from Saigon?
    Describe each setting and the differences between the two.
    Are there any similarities?

    3. Sometimes H is angry about being a girl. Why does she make


    sure to tap her big toe on the floor before her brothers wake up
    on the morning of the new year? When she thinks about that
    moment a year later, what does she say?
    4. Why does Mother lock away the portrait of Father after
    chanting in the morning (p. 13)? What do you think you
    would do if you were H or one of her brothers and someone
    close to you passed away? What would you say to Mother?
    5. What does H mean when she talks about how the poor
    fill their childrens bellies (p. 37)? What is Mother trying
    to do when she talks about how lovely yam and manioc
    taste with rice? Why do you think Mother finally decides to
    leave Saigon?
    6. Why does H love papaya so much? What might the fruit
    represent for her? How is that the same as or different from
    what the chick means for Brother Khi?

    9. What do you know about the cowboy who sponsors the


    family? Who do you think he is, and what are some reasons
    why you think he might have become a sponsor? What about
    Mrs. Washington: Why might she have volunteered to be a
    teacher for H?
    10. H says that the cowboys wife insists they keep out of her
    neighbors eyes (p. 116). Why would she do that? Why
    would neighbors slam their doors when Hs family comes
    to say hello (p. 164)?
    11. W
     hy would sponsors prefer applications that say Christians
    (p. 108)? Do you agree with Hs mother that all beliefs are
    pretty much the same (p. 108)? Do you think she did the
    right thing by saying that the family is Christian?

    www.harpercollinschildrens.com

    Questions for Discussion continued on the next page . . .

    Inside Out & Back Again Discussion Guide


    12. Why is it so important to Hs mother that her children
    learn English? If your family moved to a foreign country
    right now, would you be eager to learn the language?
    Why, or why not?
    13. H struggles to learn English and hates feeling stupid. She
    asks, Who will believe I was reading Nht Linh? and then,
    Who here knows who he is? (p. 130). What do you think
    is behind her frustration? What does she want people to
    understand about her and her family?

    14. Brother Quang says that Americans generosity is to ease the


    guilt of losing the war (p. 124). What is he talking about?
    Why doesnt he take their generosity at face value?
    15. What does Mother mean when she tells H to learn to
    compromise (p. 233)? Is she talking about dried papaya
    or something else? Give an example of a compromise that
    Mother has made.

    Extension Activities
    1. Happy New Year! Have your students look up Tt. When
    is it celebrated? What are some traditional activities that are
    part of the celebration? Are there Tt celebrations in your
    town that they could attend? Ask students to make posters
    inviting classmates to a party for Tt, explaining what they
    should expect and helping them get excited for the event.
    2. Market Day. H loves Vietnamese food and describes the
    tastes she loves. To name a few, there are crunchy mung bean
    cookies, glutinous rice and fish sauce, and, of course, papaya.
    Ask students to visit an Asian market nearby and try a new
    food. Have them write poems to describe the experience for
    their classmates.
    3. Papaya Trees and Baby Chicks. Both H and Brother
    Khi love to watch things grow, and H eagerly anticipates
    the day when shell be able to eat her papayas. Ask students
    and their families to start growing food plants. Have them
    keep journals with notes and drawings of their plants as they
    grow, and write poems about how it feels to wait patiently before you can taste your food for the first time.

    4. Two Pictures of Vietnam. Have students look up pictures


    of the fall of Saigon or the burned, naked girl crying and
    running down a dirt road (p. 194). Then ask them to find pictures of papayas and Tt. Have them ask friends and family
    which set of pictures they recognize, and if they remember
    when they first saw them or what they thought. Discuss with
    the class: Why would H say that Miss Scott should have
    shown pictures of papayas instead of the pictures of war?
    How are the war pictures different from the pictures in Mrs.
    Washingtons book (p. 201)?
    5. Telling Stories. In the Authors Note, Thanhha Lai says
    she hopes that after you finish this book that you sit close
    to someone you love and implore that person to tell and tell
    and tell their story (p. 262). As a class, generate a list of questions for students families. Have each student choose a family
    member and interview him/her about what life was like during the Vietnam War or another conflict that had an impact
    on his/her life. Ask students to share stories with their classmates and discuss the similarities and differences of what they
    learned from their family members.

    Photo by Sloane Bosniak

    About the Author


    Thanhha Lai was born in Vietnam. At the end of the war, she fled with her family to Alabama. There, she
    learned English from fourth graders. She then spent the next decade correcting her grammar. She started
    her writing life as a journalist, then switched to fiction, getting her MFA from New York University. She has
    published short stories in numerous journals and anthologies, and this is her first novel. Lai lives with her
    family in Kansas and teaches writing at The New School.

    www.harpercollinschildrens.com
    For exclusive information on your favorite authors and artists, visit www.authortracker.com.
    Also available as an ebook.
    To order, please contact your HarperCollins sales representative, call 1-800-C-HARPER, or fax your order to 1-800-822-4090.
    Questions and activities prepared by Kate Coxon, Academic Dean of Rocketship Si Se Puede Academy, Palo Alto, California.

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