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4.47 AVERAGE
4.47 AVERAGE
Title: Other Words for Home
Author: Jasmine Warga
Genre: Poetry
Publication Date: May 28, 2019
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books
Honors: Newberry Honor
Grade: 5-9th grade
Why this book: I wanted to read a story told through poetry as opposed to a traditional book of unrelated poems when I saw that this book won a Newberry helping me meet my quota and was about a girl who moved from Syria I knew it was going to be great and boy was I right! There are so many important themes in the book such as prejudice, identity, and change.
How I would use this book: I would use this book to teach how we can tell stories about our own life through poetry, about politics going on in the Middle East, about immigration, and about identity.
Summary: Jude and her mom move to America to live with Jude’s uncle after the conflict rises in Syria. They have to leave behind Jude’s brother and father. Jude’s brother Issa is advocating for change and hoping for a better future which his parents do not always see eye to eye on and they worry about his safety. While Jude is in America she adjusts to learning a new language and a new culture. She deals with discrimination when she wears her hijab for the first time and when her friend Layla’s store is vandalized. The story ends on a hopeful note when her baby sister is born and she stars in a play.
Reaction: An absolutely incredible work of literature. The poetry was incredible and shows just how great poetry can be! I loved the themes in the book and so many lines resonated with me - I took so many pictures of stanzas on my phone so I can read them again they were that good. I loved how the book handled hard things without being too heavy incorporating light-hearted elements and humor throughout. A fantastic read that I would highly recommend.
Author: Jasmine Warga
Genre: Poetry
Publication Date: May 28, 2019
Publisher: Harper Collins Children’s Books
Honors: Newberry Honor
Grade: 5-9th grade
Why this book: I wanted to read a story told through poetry as opposed to a traditional book of unrelated poems when I saw that this book won a Newberry helping me meet my quota and was about a girl who moved from Syria I knew it was going to be great and boy was I right! There are so many important themes in the book such as prejudice, identity, and change.
How I would use this book: I would use this book to teach how we can tell stories about our own life through poetry, about politics going on in the Middle East, about immigration, and about identity.
Summary: Jude and her mom move to America to live with Jude’s uncle after the conflict rises in Syria. They have to leave behind Jude’s brother and father. Jude’s brother Issa is advocating for change and hoping for a better future which his parents do not always see eye to eye on and they worry about his safety. While Jude is in America she adjusts to learning a new language and a new culture. She deals with discrimination when she wears her hijab for the first time and when her friend Layla’s store is vandalized. The story ends on a hopeful note when her baby sister is born and she stars in a play.
Reaction: An absolutely incredible work of literature. The poetry was incredible and shows just how great poetry can be! I loved the themes in the book and so many lines resonated with me - I took so many pictures of stanzas on my phone so I can read them again they were that good. I loved how the book handled hard things without being too heavy incorporating light-hearted elements and humor throughout. A fantastic read that I would highly recommend.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
medium-paced
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Lovely, hopeful book that offers us a glimpse into the experience of a young girl emigrating from Syria to the US. The succinctness and lyricism of free verse is a perfect choice for a story told from the point of view of a character who thinks in two languages. The novel delivers a deliberate, crucial message about belonging and empathy, but it never feels didactic or overwrought. I especially appreciated the way Jude reminds us that Syria is a beautiful country that wasn’t always dangerous, and it’s full of people who just want to live their lives, love their families, etc. It’s not only what we see in news footage.
“Hoping, I’m starting to think, might be the bravest thing a person can do.”
I had to take a few days before being able to formulate a review for this wonderful book. I stumbled upon it on the list LAPL Arab American Heritage Month selection, and am so thankful I picked it.
One of the strengths of this novel is its ability to balance the light and the dark, the joyful and the sorrowful. Warga infuses the story with moments of humor, love, and hope, making it a heartwarming and uplifting read despite the tough subject matter.
Even more so for a reader like me, who is from the region, familiar with some of these feelings, having experienced them to a certain degree as an adult trying to find my place in the USA.
The characters are multidimensional and relatable, and Jude's voice is authentic and endearing. The author tackles such heavy themes: racism, xenophobia, and the Syrian refugee crisis with sensitivity and nuance. It's a powerful reminder that home is not just a physical place, but a sense of self, a feeling of connection, and a community that accepts you for who you are.
“I search every day for a clue about why I deserve to be here in Aunt Michelle’s kitchen, safe and fed. When so many others just like me are not. Lucky. I am learning how to say it over and over again in English. I am learning how it tastes— sweet with promise and bitter with responsibility.”
I had to take a few days before being able to formulate a review for this wonderful book. I stumbled upon it on the list LAPL Arab American Heritage Month selection, and am so thankful I picked it.
One of the strengths of this novel is its ability to balance the light and the dark, the joyful and the sorrowful. Warga infuses the story with moments of humor, love, and hope, making it a heartwarming and uplifting read despite the tough subject matter.
Even more so for a reader like me, who is from the region, familiar with some of these feelings, having experienced them to a certain degree as an adult trying to find my place in the USA.
The characters are multidimensional and relatable, and Jude's voice is authentic and endearing. The author tackles such heavy themes: racism, xenophobia, and the Syrian refugee crisis with sensitivity and nuance. It's a powerful reminder that home is not just a physical place, but a sense of self, a feeling of connection, and a community that accepts you for who you are.
“I search every day for a clue about why I deserve to be here in Aunt Michelle’s kitchen, safe and fed. When so many others just like me are not. Lucky. I am learning how to say it over and over again in English. I am learning how it tastes— sweet with promise and bitter with responsibility.”
“Hoping,
I’m starting to think,
might be the bravest thing a person can do.”
A gorgeous wonderful poetry book about a girl who, with her mom, moves to the US to her mom’s brother for safety.
Sorry if this is a bit chaotic. I am still sick + tired + this book was just TOO good.
In the first part of the book we meet with Jude, read about her family and how they live in Syria. How their lives are pretty ordinary.. at least where they are living. But slowly change is coming. And it isn’t a good change. War and pain is coming their way. People who are against things are being rounded and thrown into jail. We see how Jude’s brother is one of the people who want change. Who want things to be better for everyone. We see the worry in the family as things escalate.
And then when things aren’t safe, Jude is taken by her mom to the US. To live their safely. Not just for her, but also for her unborn sibling. Yep, her mom is pregnant. I could imagine that she strongly wants a safe space to have her kids grow up. I was sad for both Jude and her mom when her dad and her brother stayed behind. Her father wants to man the store no matter what, and her brother wants to make change happen and doesn’t want to leave for safety.
We see the first weeks in the US. How the language is weird, how the people dress differently, how it isn’t easy to adapt, how her niece is a piece of work, how her uncle is almost never around, how her aunt tries her best to make her and her mom feel at home. It was quite interesting to read about it and see how Jude was trying to find her place. To make friends. To learn a brand-new language. She was so brave, and I just adored Jude.
At first she is without a scarf (sorry, I just don’t know the word for it at the moment), but then an event happens and I just loved how she picked the most gorgeous scarf her friend picked for her in Syria and how she wore it proudly.
However whereas things go right at first… things go not so well when a terrorist action happens in the US (not near Jude), and people start treating people who are Muslim. Even before that btw we saw that people just didn’t get that people wore scarves/fabric on their head on their own free will. I can kind of understand those people, but I can’t understand why you would go to someone and tell them they don’t have to wear it. You don’t know the circumstances. You don’t know if this person wears it from their own free will or not.
But after the attack we see some urgh things happening. Someone close to Jude has her family restaurant smeared. She gets comments from people on the street. People stare at her.
Yet she is determined to keep going. I loved the response from the community and to see what Jude’s mom planned.
I also loved seeing how Jude’s mom went to classes, how she found a place to belong, how she made friends. It just made me so happy that she didn’t stay in, instead she went to find and make a new world around herself.
There is some more stuff that is happening and it was all wonderfully written. I loved that this book is in verse/poetry, it made the whole experience even better and more personal. I am still not always a fan of poetry/verse, but this one worked perfectly.
I could talk about this book forever. It was just that good and I would highly recommend it to all!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I’m starting to think,
might be the bravest thing a person can do.”
A gorgeous wonderful poetry book about a girl who, with her mom, moves to the US to her mom’s brother for safety.
Sorry if this is a bit chaotic. I am still sick + tired + this book was just TOO good.
In the first part of the book we meet with Jude, read about her family and how they live in Syria. How their lives are pretty ordinary.. at least where they are living. But slowly change is coming. And it isn’t a good change. War and pain is coming their way. People who are against things are being rounded and thrown into jail. We see how Jude’s brother is one of the people who want change. Who want things to be better for everyone. We see the worry in the family as things escalate.
And then when things aren’t safe, Jude is taken by her mom to the US. To live their safely. Not just for her, but also for her unborn sibling. Yep, her mom is pregnant. I could imagine that she strongly wants a safe space to have her kids grow up. I was sad for both Jude and her mom when her dad and her brother stayed behind. Her father wants to man the store no matter what, and her brother wants to make change happen and doesn’t want to leave for safety.
We see the first weeks in the US. How the language is weird, how the people dress differently, how it isn’t easy to adapt, how her niece is a piece of work, how her uncle is almost never around, how her aunt tries her best to make her and her mom feel at home. It was quite interesting to read about it and see how Jude was trying to find her place. To make friends. To learn a brand-new language. She was so brave, and I just adored Jude.
At first she is without a scarf (sorry, I just don’t know the word for it at the moment), but then an event happens and I just loved how she picked the most gorgeous scarf her friend picked for her in Syria and how she wore it proudly.
However whereas things go right at first… things go not so well when a terrorist action happens in the US (not near Jude), and people start treating people who are Muslim. Even before that btw we saw that people just didn’t get that people wore scarves/fabric on their head on their own free will. I can kind of understand those people, but I can’t understand why you would go to someone and tell them they don’t have to wear it. You don’t know the circumstances. You don’t know if this person wears it from their own free will or not.
But after the attack we see some urgh things happening. Someone close to Jude has her family restaurant smeared. She gets comments from people on the street. People stare at her.
Yet she is determined to keep going. I loved the response from the community and to see what Jude’s mom planned.
I also loved seeing how Jude’s mom went to classes, how she found a place to belong, how she made friends. It just made me so happy that she didn’t stay in, instead she went to find and make a new world around herself.
There is some more stuff that is happening and it was all wonderfully written. I loved that this book is in verse/poetry, it made the whole experience even better and more personal. I am still not always a fan of poetry/verse, but this one worked perfectly.
I could talk about this book forever. It was just that good and I would highly recommend it to all!
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
my mom recommended this to me because it was in my sister in law’s middle school classroom untouched. those screenagers are missing out
fast-paced