On May 17th, 2023, I attended the author visit organized by Elmbrook Parent Network. It was the award -winning Vietnamese-American author Thanhha Lai. I had read her Middle grade book Inside Out and Back Again in 2020 during the pandemic. It was a beautifully written book in verse and had really inspired me to read and write. Flash forward to a good three years when my school librarian Mrs Liepert told me that there was a sequel of Inside out and Back again and that the author was visiting the school district in a few weeks. I was so excited that I begged my mom to get tickets to the author visit and to get a copy of the book.
Here is my old book review of Inside Out and Back Again by my 11 year old self in 2020:
Inside Out and Back Again is a story about a young girl named Kim Hà and her family. She lives in Vietnam with her mother and three brothers. The Vietnam War forced them to move to the United States since their home was no longer safe. This book highlights the challenges of refugees and their struggle to start a new life. In this book the girl gets bullied but she learns to stand for herself at the end.
The sequel of this story When Clouds touch us is when the main character, who is slowly setting into her life in Alabama moves to Texas and overcomes several obstacles that come her way. I haven’t finished reading this book and I am 90 percent down. I am so eager to find out the ending of this book.
The author’s visit, has changed my perspective about Mrs. Lai’s life and her work . Attending her presentation has helped me understand the story better than what I thought in 2020.Learning about the Vietnam War and their families struggles has taught me a lot. The best highlight of the visit was getting my questions answered and getting the books signed by the author herself. I was able to have a good 1 on 1 brief conversation and Mrs. Lai encouraged me to read and review her new book. So here I am. Next week’s blog will be on this amazing book!
If you’re into books that cover the topics of coming of age, family, overcoming obstacles,immigration, grief, war and moving on, I can guarantee that you will love these two books as I did. I hope to read more of Mrs. Lai’s books and get inspired to continue my journey of writing.
Happy Reading!!!