“Today more than 14 million men, women, and children have been forced to flee their homes, towns, and countries because they are afraid to stay” (Gilbert 9). In the book, Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai, Ha, a young girl, grew up in Saigon, Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Before the war she was just like every other girl living in South Vietnam. She went to school, had friends, played with her doll, and she is a little stubborn but who could blame her. Ha is the only girl out of the four children. Her brothers, Brother Quang, Brother Vu, and Brother Khoi all love Ha even though sometimes they might not show it. Growing up in a war zone was already difficult enough but adding on top of that, Ha’s father is missing. Ha and her family don’t know if he is dead or alive but they keep their hopes up because maybe one day he will return. While the war gets stronger and closer to Saigon, Ha and her family have to decide whether to stay or go. If they leave their home country they will be forever known as a refugee. A refugee is someone who leaves their home country because of a traumatic event such as war. Leaving their country will change everything for them, everything they have ever known would be gone. It …show more content…
The universal refugee experience consists of “fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion” (Gevert 9). Throughout a refugee 's life they will go through ups and downs, or inside out and back again. The universal refugee experience isn’t something people dream of having but it happens to people everyday all over the world. In the book, Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai, the author focuses on the events that happen to Ha and her family. These events are the same experiences that every refugee goes