Other Words for Home - Jasmine Warga

Category: Children, General Fiction, Poetry
Language: English
Keywords: Cincinnati Home Immigration Syria

Written by Jasmine Warga
Read by Vaneh Assadourian
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Release date: May 28, 2019
Duration: 03:50:32

A gorgeously written, hopeful middle grade novel in first-person free verse poetry about a young girl who must leave Syria to move to the United States, perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Aisha Saeed.

Jude never thought she’d be leaving her beloved older brother and father behind, all the way across the ocean in Syria. But when things in her hometown start becoming volatile, Jude and her mother are sent to live in Cincinnati with relatives.

At first, everything in America seems too fast and too loud. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US—and her new label of “Middle Eastern,” an identity she’s never known before.

But this life also brings unexpected surprises—there are new friends, a whole new family, and a school musical that Jude might just try out for. Maybe America, too, is a place where Jude can be seen as she really is.

This lyrical, life-affirming story is about losing and finding home and, most importantly, finding yourself.

A review…It’s a humanizing portrait for a group of people white America frequently villianizes; it educates about life in Syria while refusing to shy away from the horror that is racism in the U.S., particularly as it affects people of Middle Eastern descent— but it’s ultimately brimming with courage, love, and hope. Jude is a character you can’t help but root for, as she shines so brightly and helps bridge the gap between the Midwest and the Middle East.