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Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

31 reviews

lattelibrarian's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-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? No

4.0

Other Words for Home is an inspiring novel in verse that asks what it means to be home. Is it your family? Having a community? A house? A language? A culture? As Jude immigrates to the United States and enhances her English, she must also learn to navigate this new culture all the while worrying about the family she and her mother left behind.

As Jude makes friends and figures out how she fits in with her new school, she also decides to regain her confidence by auditioning for the school play. While working on her extra-curricular, she must also reckon with living between two cultures and languages. Warga takes these difficult topics and discusses them almost effortlessly.

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puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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wad3mil3sgarru2's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

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bibliomich's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad 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? No

5.0

In Other Words for Home, Jasmine Warga tells the story of Jude, an adolescent girl who moves from Syria to the U.S. due to increasing political unrest and violence in her homeland. While navigating living in a new country, learning more of the English language, and worrying about her friends and relatives still in Syria, Jude also faces significant Islamophobia & xenophobia. All of this is written in a way that is developmentally accessible to young readers. I could write so much more about this book, but I will simply say that it is a must-read.

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guessgreenleaf's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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lawbooks600's review

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Representation: Asian and Black characters
Score: Eight points out of ten.

Before I read Other Words for Home, I was at a crossroad. On one hand, I had high expectations, considering this book was initially my first one from Jasmine Warga before someone transferred it and then I had to read The Shape of Thunder (which I enjoyed.) On the other, my recent poetry reads were misses, other than a few gems. Fortunately, when I finally finished Other Words for Home, it was delightful, but heavy.

It starts with the first person I see, Jude, living a peaceful life in Syria with her family during the opening pages. Once the country got too volatile and chaotic, Jude had to move to her relatives in Ohio, America, leaving her father and brother behind. Initially, Jude hasn't acclimatised to America yet and is not used to the new labels people call her like Syrian and Middle Eastern. Jude eventually adjusts herself to her new surroundings, living in her new home and going to a new American school to make friends. Interestingly, she has two English classes: English and ESL (English as a Second Language,) where Jude finds new people to befriend. Jude's subsequent chapter in her life is mostly uneventful, save for the school play auditions and the subtle racist attacks she experiences. I liked everything about Other Words for Home: the excellent poetry and the likable and relatable characters. Toward the concluding pages, Jude reunites with her family through a screen, meets her long-lost brother and gets into the performance, finishing the narrative on a high note.

Addendum: Coincidentally, Other Words for Home combines the titles of two other novels I read: The Other Side of Tomorrow and The Horses Didn't Come Home, both of which were satisfying to read. To summarise, Other Words for Home initially looked promising and when I closed the final page, it was a gratifying reading experience.

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readingwithtemperance's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

The only bad thing I can say about this book is that I wanted more of it. I love Jude and her family so much. The writing was gorgeous. And the audio was so immersive.

I cried multiple times reading this.

When Jude put on her hijab for the first time my heart sang for her.

the awful attack on her friend Layla's family's store.

and

the birth of her sister/seeing her brother again even through a screen.

The author's note was beautiful and powerful and brought tears to my eyes as well. I am so happy I read this.

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