Inside Out & Back Again Coming-of-Age Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Part.Poem.Stanza)

Quote #4

I promise myself
to never again
make fun of
Bruce Lee. (1.31.7)

Instead of mocking her brother, Hà recognizes that Vu's practice has saved them, and humbly acknowledges that she was wrong to judge him.

Quote #5

But no one
is heartless enough
to say
stopbecause what if
they had been
stoppedbefore their turn? (1.32.5)

Hà is tuned into the goings-on of the ships taking people out of Vietnam, and appreciates that the reason the ship has been filled way beyond capacity is because no one wants to be the person who doesn't allow someone to escape. There's a lot of maturity in Hà's ability to recognize that part of the reason this is happening is because the people making the calls about who gets on and who doesn't are aware of their own stroke of luck in making the cut.

Quote #6

Mother sighs.

I don't blame her,
having a daughter
who's either
dying of thirst
or demanding release. (2.1.4-5)

Wow, how understanding of Hà, right? Most pre-teens are never that nice to their mothers…