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1975 : Year of the Cat
"An old,angry knot expands in my throat.I decide to wake before dawn and tap my big toe to the tile floor first."Today is Tet and Ha becomes jealous of her brother so she decides to touch her toe to the tile first -
Inside Out
"Maybe the soldiers will no longer patrol our neighborood, maybe I can jump rope after dark, maybe the whistles that tell Mother to push us under the bed will stop screeching" Ha still has hope that her life will turn out better in the upcom ing year. -
Kim Ha
"She's wrong, but I still love being near her, even more than I love my papaya tree. I will offer her its first fruit." Ha loves her mother more than anything in the world. -
Papaya Tree
"I will be the first to witness the ripening."Ha is determined to see the ripening of the papaya out of her love for her papaya tree. -
Titi Says Goodbye
"I'm glad we've become poor so we can stay." Ha loves her home and would rather stay there and be poor than rich anywhere else. -
Missing in Action
Ha explains how her father disappeared."He was captured on Route 1 an hour south of the city by moped." This is all Ha knows about how her father was kidnappped -
Promises
Ha still cares about her papaya tree."Five papayas the size of my head, a knee, two elbows, and a thumb cling to the trunk. Still green, but promising." -
Should We?
Ha knows what her mother is feeling. "Her brows twist so much that we hush." Ha knows her mother well. -
Quiet Decision
Ha is rationing food for her family. "I am proud of my ability to save until I see the tears in mother's eyes. -
Sour backs
Ha respects brother Vu. "I promise myself to never make fun of Bruce Lee agian." page 62 -
Rations
"The first hot bite of freshly cooked rice, plump and nutty, makes me imagine the taste of ripe papaya although one has nothing to do with the other." Ha is getting used to having to ration food. -
Once Knew
"Water, water, water, making me think land is just something I once knew" Ha still clings to her memories in Vietnam. -
Last Respects
"I tie it all into a bundle.Brother Khoi nods and I smile,but I regret not having my doll as soon as the white bundle sinks into the sea." Ha is starting to care for others while still remaining a little selfish. -
Our Cowboy
"I love him immediatly and imagine him to be good-heated and the owner of a horse." Ha is grateful for her sponsor while still acting like a child -
1976: Year of the Dragon
"I pray for Father to find warmth in his new home,Mother to keep smiling more,Brother Quang to enjoy his studies,Vu Lee to drive me from and to school, Brother Khoi to hatch an American chick." Ha has matured throughout the book, going from an innocent little girl to a mature young adult. She still keeps pieces of her childhood innocence.
