Set in 1975, Thanhha Lai's Inside Out & Back Again is a novel written in verse that follows ten-year-old protagonist Kim Hà and her family as they flee Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War and adapt to life as refugees in Alabama.
Published in 2011, the coming-of-age novel is based on Lai's own experiences as a child displaced by the conflict in Vietnam. Inside Out & Back Again was awarded the 2011 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and a 2012 Newbery Honor.
The Question and Answer section for Inside Out and Back Again is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.
One element of the gothic genre use in the play, Inside the Island, is the "ghost story", in which, the visitations of ghosts serve as a catalyst for the human characters and their understanding of identity and the past.
The process of adapting to a new religion can be found in the section titled, Another Tent City.
From the text:
Then by chance Mother learns
sponsors prefer those
whose applications say “Christians.”
Just like that
Mother amends our faith,
saying all...
Mother tells Brother Khoi that if he will not join them, they will all remain, knowing he would never hurt or disappoint her.
Come with us or we’ll all stay. Think, my son; your action will determine our future.
Mother knows this son cannot stand...
