Rating: ★★★★★/5
One Word to Describe It: Wow!
This book was such an enjoyable read – I literally couldn’t put it down until it was finished. I’d heard lots of discourse around it, particularly in my education classes this past semester, and went ahead and bought a copy for myself. As an Alabama girl, the novel’s setting drew me in as the plot explores Hà and her mother and brothers’ encounters in Alabama after emigrating from Saigon.
I can see students especially finding connections in this novel’s many characters. Hà interacts with multiple people throughout this novel (TiTi, Miss Xinh, MiSSSisss WaSShington, and Pink Boy, to name a few) while still being grounded in daily interactions with her mother and three brothers. Because we get so much interaction with other characters, albeit through Hà’s perspective, students aren’t limited to connecting with her alone – they might see a friend’s passion for yummy food and cooking in Vu Lee or a love for all of language’s “annoyances and illogical rules. as well as sensible beauty” like MiSSSisss WaSShington. I also think this would be such an ideal novel if you teach in Alabama or one of its surrounding states! I’m really happy I decided to read this, and I imagine teaching this novel would be a blast.
Some poems that stuck with me (mainly because of commentary on language):
Black and White and Yellow and Red
Feel Dumb
New Word a Day
Spelling Rules
Start Over
