Inside Out & Back Again: Part 1

by Thanhha Lai
Fleeing to America to escape the Vietnam War, Hà and her family end up in Alabama, where they must adapt to a new culture. This novel in verse was inspired by author Thanhha Lai's own experiences.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
15 words 17537 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. incense
    a substance that produces a fragrant odor when burned
    This day
    Mother prepares an altar
    to chant for his return,
    offering fruit,
    incense,
    tuberoses,
    and glutinous rice.
  2. glutinous
    having the sticky properties of an adhesive
    This day
    Mother prepares an altar
    to chant for his return,
    offering fruit,
    incense,
    tuberoses,
    and glutinous rice.
  3. embroider
    decorate with needlework
    Now I am ten, learning
    to embroider circular stitches,
    to calculate fractions into percentages,
    to nurse my papaya tree to bear many fruits.
  4. imitation
    copying the actions of someone else
    Brother Vū screams, Ha Yà,
    and makes me jump
    every time
    he breaks wood or bricks
    in imitation of Bruce Lee.
  5. communist
    a socialist in favor of collectivism in a classless society
    But when we keep talking about
    how close the Communists
    have gotten to Saigon,
    how much prices have gone up
    since American soldiers left,
    how many distant bombs
    were heard the previous night,
    Miss Xinh finally says no more.
  6. justify
    defend, explain, or make excuses for by reasoning
    Brother Quang says,
    One cannot justify war
    unless each side
    flaunts its own
    blind conviction.
  7. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    Wish Mother would stop
    chiding me to stay calm,
    which makes it worse.
  8. podium
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    We stand in line;
    for even longer
    we sit on hot metal benches
    facing the podium.
  9. rickety
    inclined to shake as from weakness or defect
    I will not risk
    fleeing with my children
    on a rickety boat.
  10. slogan
    a favorite saying of a sect or political group
    Hà will come home
    chanting the slogans
    of Hô Chí Minh,
    and Khôi will be rewarded
    for reporting to his teacher
    everything we say in the house.
  11. monsoon
    rainy season in southern Asia
    We pretend
    the monsoon
    has come early.
  12. reproduce
    have offspring or produce more individuals
    The tired worm
    reproduces much more slowly
    at the end of the day
    than at the beginning
    when Mother started
    the first of five bags.
  13. pact
    a written agreement between two states or sovereigns
    Mother tells me
    she and Father have a pact.
  14. gaunt
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    Who can go against
    a mother
    who has become gaunt like bark
    from raising four children alone?
  15. horde
    a moving crowd
    Hordes pour
    by us,
    beyond us.
Created on Tue Apr 15 18:48:00 EDT 2014 (updated Mon Jun 30 17:25:32 EDT 2025)

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