Book of the Month: July 2021
Read: Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
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. 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.
Themes: Coming of Age; Immigration; Refugee; Identity
Grade Level: 4th-7th
Listen to an excerpt of the audiobook here!
Purchase a copy of the book here and 10% of proceeds come back to Words Alive and help us support even more teens!
Talk
Discuss your answers with your guardians, teachers, friends, or neighbors!
The book is written in verse, like a long poem. There are no paragraphs. How does this express Jude’s “voice” better than traditional novel writing?
On pg. 129, Jude cites an Arabic proverb: “She cannot give what she does not have.” What is Jude referring to? What does Sarah not have?
Jude claims on pg 203, “I have learned that Americans love to say you know and then stop talking. They force you to fill in the hard parts, the things they are not brave enough to say.” Pay attention to how many times you hear someone say “You know.” Is Jude correct about how that phrase is used?
Write
Jude makes some profound observations as she learns what it is like to live in the United States. On pg. 82, she says “America, like every other place in the world, is a place where some people sleep and some people, other people, dream.” Does she mean “dream” in the literal sense? Why does she say “some people, other people, dream”?
Write a letter to yourself about what you ”dream” about, in the same sense that Jude means. Be sure to include the steps that will make your dreams come true.
Connect
Look up the poem on the bottom of the Statue of Liberty. Then, read the article here. Is America living up to the ideals of the Statue of Liberty? Should we be doing more for refugees? What should we be doing? Why?
Do
On pg. 92, Jude says: “Americans love labels. They help them know what to expect. Sometimes, though, I think labels stop them from thinking.”
Take a piece of paper and fold it in thirds. In the first section, write down some ways that you would label yourself. These can be related to race, culture, gender, religion, socio-economic status, or just personal qualities.
In the next section write down the labels other people apply to you currently.
In the third section, write down some labels you would like to have people apply to you, now or in the future.
Go back to the last part of the quote, “I think labels stop people from thinking.” Do you agree with Jude? Which labels stop people from thinking?
Explore other titles with similar themes!
Purchase a copy of the book here and 10% of proceeds come back to Words Alive and help us support even more teens!
