Newbery Medal (John Newbery Medal)
1 appearances
-
Edition 91 (2012) Nominee
Thanhha Lai
ライ・T・タンハー
Lai T. Thanh Ha
Pen Names:
Thanhhà Lại（Stylistic rendering used on her official website）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1965-01-01 （Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam）
- Nationality
- Vietnam, United States
- Languages
- English, Vietnamese
- Residence History
- Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam (birth) → Alabama, United States (early U.S. residence) → Croton-on-Hudson, New York, United States
Career
- Occupations
- Children's writer, Novelist, Educator (faculty)
- Active Years
- 1988-
- Affiliations
- Parsons The New School for Design (faculty)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Texas at Austin | — | Journalism | 学士（ジャーナリズム） | 在籍期間不詳 | United States |
| New York University (NYU) | — | MFA (Creative Writing) | 修士（MFA） | 在籍期間不詳 | United States |
University of Texas at Austin
Journalism
Degree:
学士（ジャーナリズム）
Period:
在籍期間不詳
Year of Graduation:
1988
Country:
United States
Worked as a reporter after graduation
New York University (NYU)
MFA (Creative Writing)
Degree:
修士（MFA）
Period:
在籍期間不詳
Country:
United States
Earned a Master of Fine Arts
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | National Book Award for Young People's Literature | Inside Out & Back Again | — | National Book Foundation | Winner |
| 2012 | Newbery Honor | Inside Out & Back Again | — | Association for Library Service to Children (ALA/ALSC) | Honor |
National Book Award for Young People's Literature
2011
Work:
Inside Out & Back Again
Organization:
National Book Foundation
Result:
Winner
Newbery Honor
2012
Work:
Inside Out & Back Again
Organization:
Association for Library Service to Children (ALA/ALSC)
Result:
Honor
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Inside Out & Back Again
2011 Children's literature / Novel in verseTold in a series of spare, poetic lines from the perspective of Hà, a young girl who flees Saigon with her family and resettles in Alabama. The book explores displacement, cultural adjustment, prejudice, family bonds, and personal growth.
ImmigrationIdentityFamilyWar and peaceComing of age
Listen, Slowly
2015 Young adult novelFollows a young girl raised in the U.S. who travels to Vietnam and rediscovers her roots, family history, and connection to language.
Searching for rootsFamily relationshipsCultural understanding
Butterfly Yellow
2019 Young adult novelSet in Vietnam, the novel follows young people confronting hardship and hope; themes include choices shaped by past and present.
New beginningsSocial issuesYouth
Hundred Years of Happiness
2022 NovelA novel that examines family, history, and the meaning of happiness.
Family historyIntergenerational connections
Bibliography
- Watermark: Vietnamese American poetry & prose (anthology contribution)
- Inside Out & Back Again (2011)
- Listen, Slowly (2015)
- Butterfly Yellow (2019)
- Hundred Years of Happiness (2022)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Poetic, spare proseUse of short, lineated verses (novel-in-verse style)
- Recurring Motifs
- Conflict of immigration and assimilationPower of language and expressionFamily bonds and roles
Legacy
Thanhha Lai is celebrated for bringing Vietnamese-American experience into children's literature with a poetic voice. Her novel in verse Inside Out & Back Again won the National Book Award and is widely taught and recognized.
Archives
- Library of Congress (authority record)
- National Diet Library (Japan authority record)
Quotes
-
So this is what dumb feels like.
Source: Inside Out & Back Again (novel) (2011)
Trivia
- Uses the styling Thanhhà Lại on her official website.
- Born in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City).
- Fled Vietnam with her family around the Fall of Saigon at age ten; experience informs her fiction.
- Has six older brothers.