Sometimes, seeing these complex themes described in a straightforward way like this can be even more impactful than a more intensive and philosophical discourse. I loved the way Warga takes on so many of the most difficult themes of immigration, like language and cultural differences and self-consciousness, and the split that often occurs within families, and distills them all down to the simplest and most affecting language that so clearly conveys for young readers and older readers alike. With a little time though, Jude makes a new friend or two, finds camaraderie in her ESL classmates, leans into her pride in starting to wear hijab and decides she may even try out for the school musical. Adjusting to America, where everything seems too big and too loud and Jude is self-conscious about her English and her “Middle Eastern” identity and, instead of loving the limelight like she did back home, all she wants is to fade into the background, is difficult. When the situation in her hometown becomes violent, Jude leaves Syria with her pregnant mother to stay with family in the United States, leaving her father and beloved older brother behind.
Other Words for Home is told from Jude’s perspective, a young Syrian Muslim girl. “America / like every other place in the world, / is a place where some people sleep / and some people / other people / dream.”
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