With Mother’s Day approaching, my heart is overflowing. I don’t care if you’re in sixth grade or 66, Ha’s story will touch you to your very core. It is truly a must read.
As mothers, we want the best for our children. Whether we have young ones at home, or they’re already off on their own, we carry them in our heart every moment. We wish life’s best for them. But, also ache inside as they work through struggles. So, with that being said, I recently read When Clouds Touch Us by Thanhaa Lai.
It’s an incredible story of love in action and sacrifice.
A mother’s love. Vision and HOPE for her children’s futures that knows no boundaries. A mother’s love that crosses continents and is also infused with struggle after struggle. Yet, she moves forward always seeking what’s best for her children.
A mother’s love that must endure conflicts from society’s rules and misunderstandings, yet never wavers.
When Clouds Touch Us by Thanhha Lai, is a sequel to Inside out and Back Again. It’s been two years now since Ha and her family moved to America, as refugees from the Vietnam War. Soon into this sequel, their mother decides to move again. This time to Texas in hopes of more opportunities for each of her children. Told through novel in verse, Ha’s shares her story, her struggles in moving once again, and in a new school in America, once again. This move brings harsh realities, from trying to make enough money to make ends meet, to adjusting to a whole new way of life. However, through it all, Ha’s story poignantly paints an incredible mosaic of a family that deeply loves and supports each other, while also embracing their indivduality.
I actually went back and reread portions of the story after finishing it – seeing how brilliantly Thanhha Lai pieced every sentence together to create such a beautiful story of family. Of love. Of commitment. And of HOPE. Always HOPE.
This is a must read for so many reasons. With Mother’s Day coming up, I am reminded of my own mom’s selfless love for us and her uncanny positivity, no matter the life circumstances. Not to sugar coat the hard, but to be always grounded in supporting each of us with love and a listening ear.
When Clouds Touch Us is also so poignant because it calls us to better SEE each other. To see individuals – their stories, struggles, hopes, dreams. I want to be able to crawl out of my own story and be present for others.
So, thank you, Thanhha Lai for writing the sequel. My advice, read both books. Your heart will be moved.
