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Jun 17, 2014litriocht rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
In one particularly memorable scene, Hà is asked to recite some basic words, like the alphabet letters and a few numbers, in front of her new, American classmates. For this simple task, she receives applause. Her anger at this reaction is almost palpable. At home, she is the best student! Yet here, she is lauded for knowledge that a much younger student would know. Anyone who has learned a second language can relate to Hà's sense of frustration at scenes like this. Even her name is taken from her, as most Americans don't catch the falling tone as shown by the diacritical mark; instead, her name is mispronounced as the sound of laughter. Despite this indignity and many others, this young Vietnamese girl persists in learning English and successfully transitioning to her new life.