Other Words for Home

I loved the language in this novel-in-verse and the valuable insights from an “outsider” experiencing American culture.

As a refugee fleeing war-torn Syria, Jude, the main character, finds one of the only places she feels safe and accepted is in her class for English learners. The example of her teacher, Mrs. Ravenswood, shows how sometimes one person can’t change the world, but they might change the world for one person. It made me think about how small things I do and say impact people around me. 

This is a moving middle grade novel in verse in which the protagonist, a young Syrian girl who flees to America with her mother, must leave devoted family members behind and in danger. Written by an American-born woman with patriarchal roots in Jordan and a few Syrian friends, she has nevertheless given us a vivid picture of the war in Aleppo, Syria, and the difficulties encountered by Jude who must come of age during a very difficult and confusing time in her own life and the life of her country. Young people will be able to relate to this on… show more.

You’ll want to get to know Jude. She’s a 12-year-old girl who loves her life in her quiet, coastal town in Syria. But when the war threatens her family’s peaceful existence, her parents decide she and her mother should leave Syria for the safety of her uncle’s home in Cincinnati, Ohio. Jude navigates the highs and lows of middle school and grapples with the prejudice she and other Muslims face in the U.S. —  all the while desperately missing and fearing for her beloved Baba and brother an ocean away. Written in verse and narrated by Jude with humour, insight,… show more.

I am excited to recommend this book that begins in Syria where you will meet a young girl, Jude. As the situation in her country becomes dangerous, she has to leave her home and move to Cincinnati, USA with her mother, leaving behind her father and brother.  I know firsthand what it is like to move to a completely different country and leave behind your friends and family. I think that is what drew me to this book. I understood what Jude was feeling. I especially loved that this story is told in verse. It was like Jude was speaking… show more.