Sunday, March 11, 2012

Two Lyrical Reads to Transport You



This month, as part of the Novels In Verse reading challenge, hosted by Amanda at Born Bookish,  I read Inside Out & Back Again by Thanha Lai and Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall. I didn’t realize it when I picked these two books out, but they had a lot in common. To start, look at the covers:




I must admit, it was the beautiful cover that first attracted me to Thanha Lai’s book. You know how I love trees ;)  Then when I learned that it was written in verse, well, there was no question. I had to read it right away.

Although classified as fiction, both of these books are based on the real experiences of the authors.


Inside Out & Back Again

From Amazon: 

"No one would believe me but at times I would choose wartime in Saigon over peacetime in Alabama.
For all the ten years of her life, HÀ has only known Saigon: the thrills of its markets, the joy of its traditions, the warmth of her friends close by . . . and the beauty of her very own papaya tree.
But now the Vietnam War has reached her home. HÀ and her family are forced to flee as Saigon falls, and they board a ship headed toward hope. In America, HÀ discovers the foreign world of Alabama: the coldness of its strangers, the dullness of its food, the strange shape of its landscape . . . and the strength of her very own family.
This is the moving story of one girl's year of change, dreams, grief, and healing as she journeys from one country to another, one life to the next."



Inside Out & Back Again  is beautifully told in free verse. Through the seamless flow of poems, we experience the sights, sounds, and tastes of Ha's journey as she, her mother, and her three brothers travel from Vietnam to America. Ha's fears, her curiosity, her guilt, her temper and her bond with her family, all make for a compelling tale and we hope beyond reasonable hope, right along with Ha and her family, that in the end they will be reunited with her father, who has been missing in action for years.




Under the Mesquite

From Amazon:

"When Lupita learns Mami has cancer, she is terrified by the possibility of losing her mother, the anchor of her close-knit family. Suddenly, being a high school student, starring in a play, and dealing with friends who don't always understand, become less important than doing whatever she can to save Mami's life.
While her father cares for Mami at an out-of-town clinic, Lupita takes charge of her seven younger siblings. As Lupita struggles to keep the family afloat, she takes refuge in the shade of a mesquite tree, where she escapes the chaos at home to write. Forced to face her limitations in the midst of overwhelming changes and losses, Lupita rediscovers her voice and finds healing in the power of words.
Told with honest emotion in evocative free verse, Lupita's journey toward hope is captured in moments that are alternately warm and poignant. Under the Mesquite is an empowering story about testing family bonds and the strength of a young woman navigating pain and hardship with surprising resilience."


In Under the Mesquite, Lupita's story is told in rich, picturesque language. The author carries us, along with Lupita and her family to homes on both sides of the United States-Mexican border. And she makes us feel at home there too, successfully incorporating Spanish words and glimpses of Latino experiences.

22 comments:

  1. Both book sound wonderful! Thanks for sharing those reviews.

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  2. Books in verse are something I haven't tried yet. These looks like a great place to start :-)

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  3. Somehow these two novels carry a haunting tone. Perhaps it's due to the personal-reflective plot and themes. I understand why you were attracted to the book covers, Ruth. I love trees, too. Great sharing, I'd love to place these two books on my to-read list.

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  4. I really like both covers. They're really catch your eye.

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  5. I agree,the covers are beautiful! I remember seeing Inside out and Back Again, and wanting to pick it up. I will definitely have to give it a try!

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  6. While these are unrelated stories, the similarity of the covers knocked the air out of me. Good catch, Ruth.

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  7. After reading Amanda's and your review, I'm going to have to read "Inside Out and Back Again." But will wait a long while if I want to review it. Also liked your review of "Under the Mesquite." Sounds like a beautiful book about how Lupita finds healing for herself. Great reviews.

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  8. Yes, love the covers too! I don't think I've ever read a novel in verse. I am familiar with the Ellen Hopkins (i think) series, my daughter read one of those. After reading your reviews I think I might give one a try!

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  9. These both sound so beautiful and powerful, Ruth. Thanks so much for sharing them. Isn't weird when you pick out two books unknowingly and they turn out to have a lot in common? I did that recently with The Help and The Secret Life of Bees!

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  10. They both sound wonderful. I am always attracted to covers first and these two are beautiful. So glad you shared.

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  11. Both books sound wonderful. I would love to read both of them! So I think I will. I really appreciate you sharing them with us. If not for you, I would not even know about them. Yay you! *waving*

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  12. Wow. Both of these books sound like promising reads. Thanks for the great reviews.

    ctny

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  13. Both books sound like interesting reads. Like you, I also like trees. It's neat how the two books you mentioned show girls under trees- I actually have a header image on my blog of a girl under a tree.

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  14. Thanks for the reviews. There are so many books to read.

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  15. There ARE tons of books to read, aren't there? I think I'm overwhelmed. LOL

    Ruth, I tagged you for the Lucky 7 Meme contest.
    http://katrinadelallo.blogspot.com/2012/03/lucky-7-meme.html

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  16. Ruth, those both sound intriguing. Thanks for the recommendations! The title "Under the Mesquite" reminded me of a saying of my English grandfather's. He described sitting quietly with one's thoughts as being "under the laburnum."

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  17. Thank you all for stopping by and commenting. It's always fun to share about good books. And how else would we maintain our hefty TBR lists?!

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  18. I've read the first, but not the second. My TBR pile thanks you -- or not. :)

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  19. I read both of these last year and thought they were fantastic.

    Have a great weekend.

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  20. I just bought INSIDE OUT... Can't wait to dig in. Thanks for the rec. of UNDER THE MESQUITE.

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  21. Awesome reviews! I haven't read either, but I would like to. And the covers are exquisite.

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  22. I've read both of these but never noticed that the covers are so similar!

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