Other Words for Home

Despite initial concerns about Aunt Michelle and Uncle Mazin’s generosity, Jude finds herself connecting with these two adults in unexpected ways. Recount three or four moments Jude shares with her aunt and/or uncle. How does each help Jude acclimate to both the household and the community? Support your points with details from the text.

Jude observes that others think and talk about home in different ways: Uncle Mazin when he tastes Mama’s cooking, Mama when she discusses Aunt Michelle’s house, Miles when he asks Jude where she is going after school, etc. Reflecting on the novel’s title, what are Jude’s “other words” for home? Select three or four moments from Parts 2 through 6 to support your response.

Authors often develop characters indirectly—that is, through the details of their actions and reactions, their words and thoughts, and the opinions of others about them. How does Jasmine Warga use indirect characterization to depict secondary characters like Sarah and Miles? What do readers learn about Jude indirectly from her word choice and interior monologue?

The plot device of a story-within-a-story often features symbolically in literature. What symbolic value can readers associate with Jude’s choice to audition for the school musical? What might the rehearsal process and culminating moments in the wings represent? Review and note some specific imagery from these scenes to support your discussion.

Jude leaves for America after Part 1, but the descriptions of her home in Syria are just as rich as those of America. List setting details for Jude’s hometown in Syria in one column and setting details for her home, school, and neighborhood in Cincinnati in another. Summarize and discuss the three to five strongest points of contrast between these settings.

Dramatic foils are two characters so opposite in traits that they highlight each other’s characterization through contrast. In what ways do Jude’s friends in her ESL class collectively contrast groups or individuals outside of the class? How does the environment of the ESL class contrast pointedly with that of the school or neighborhood in general?

Jude’s decision to begin wearing her hijab marks a physical, emotional, spiritual, and cultural coming-of-age for her. What other outward signs prove characters’ inward changes and maturations? Keep in mind that older characters can also experience growth throughout adulthood. Detail two to three characters and something about their appearance or physical demeanor that suggests deeper change.

Near the story’s conclusion, Mama warns Jude against thinking of Issa as a “superhero.” Analyze the complex sibling relationship between Issa and Jude, then discuss at least three of Jude’s eventual conclusions about Issa’s choices. Use story details to support your discussion.