Other Words for Home

“Only people who don’t have piles and piles of money / walk on this beach.” 

Jude and Issa walk on the locals’ stretch of beach, establishing a contrast between the families who “have always / lived here” and the wealthy tourists who get a reserved stretch of beach all to themselves (14). The moment is significant in that it offers the reader clues about the oppressive, problematic government in Syria, as Issa cites their divided beach as something that will change with the revolution.

“We hid the tapes in a box / behind a pile of clothes that I don’t wear anymore.” 

Jude refers here to videocassette tapes meant for a VCR; she and Fatima watched (and then hid) Practical Magic and Pretty Woman after Issa bought the movies for them. The content of these movies (including witches and magic in the former and prostitution in the latter) is not approved viewing. The moment is notable because it shows the traditional values Mama and Aunt Amal are eager to instill in Jude and Fatima, who in turn exercise their growing independence with their interest in American culture and the slight deception they engage in to indulge it.

“It feels like a place where ideas live.” 

Jude visits Issa’s apartment and meets those working with him to secure democracy and freedom in Syria. The energy of their ideas and work both scares her and excites her; though she is fascinated by the atmosphere, she is too young and ignorant to fully understand the ideas inspiring Issa and his friends. Government police raid the apartment while Jude is there, but Issa gets her out and home safely.

“Words, all kinds of them, bubble up in my throat / but nothing comes out.” 

Jude stands silent in front of the immigrations official when she and Mama arrive at the airport in Cincinnati. It is ironic that she cannot figure out how to respond to him when she was one of the quickest in her class to learn English. Seeing the documents Mama offers, he at last asks if they have come to see Jude’s uncle, and Jude gratefully manages to say “Yes.”

“America,

like every other place in the world,

is a place where some people sleep

and some

other people

dream.” 

The opulence and glittery materialism in America initially amaze Jude. When Aunt Michelle takes Jude and Mama to the mall, every store appears to be fancier than the one before it. Jude, however, starts to see that some people are tired, poorly dressed, and possibly poverty-stricken or homeless. This shows Jude’s developing perception that many places in the world have a class and socioeconomic structure that benefits some and neglects others.

“Once I hear Mama ask Uncle Mazin, / I don’t see anything from home here.” 

Mama falls into a pattern of subtly denying Jude’s impressions of everything in America being bigger and more glamorous than in Syria. This line is notable because it shows Mama’s concern that her brother Mazin has grown detached from not just his geographical origins but also his culture and family. In response, Mazin insists the house and its bright furnishings are “home” for him. In watching this dialogue play out, Jude begins to question what home is to her. All three characters will ultimately have to reconcile the American and Syrian sides of their identities.

“Don’t you want me to like it here?”

Jude can no longer hold in her angst regarding Mama’s reactions when she shows her attraction or awe with American things. As a storm swells outside the creaky third floor bedroom, Mama tries to explain that she is sad to see a place that is not their home provide more for Jude in terms of safety and material wealth.

“Pre Jude reveled in her classmates’ attention, / but now I just want to blend in.” 

Jude notes that the “pre-” prefix in English denotes something that comes before, like Pre-algebra. Here, she applies the prefix to her name and speaks of her old self in third person. The passage underscores her emotions as she arrives late to class on the first day and feels everyone’s eyes on her. It also establishes a baseline for Jude’s character growth over the course of seventh grade; by the time of musical tryouts, there are ways she wants to stand out.

“I was wrong about not / wanting to be in Mrs. Ravenswood’s room.” 

Jude’s concerns about taking ESL in a classroom setting prove to be completely unfounded; she enjoys the class from her first day there. Omar, Ben, and Grace are kind and upbeat, and Mrs. Ravenswood’s exercises are interesting and helpful. This sentence establishes the class as a haven for Jude and foreshadows the support system on which she will come to rely.

“And that’s when I realize

my uncle hasn’t been showing me

all his fancy stuff to impress me,

but to convince me.

To convince himself.” 

At their steak dinner together, Jude sees that Uncle Mazin recalls his own memories of first arriving in America. His insistence that America is his real home belies his true feelings. The line is significant because Jude begins to realize the notion of “home” is complex; she will continue to consider its true meaning throughout the following parts of the novel.

“Mama does not find her recipe online. / She finds it in her memory, / her heart.” 

Food’s symbolic meaning strengthens in Part 3 as Jude discovers online recipes with Aunt Michelle while still enjoying the food Mama prepares when she cooks. These lines suggest that because Mama cooks a traditional meal based on trusted preparation and methods, it is more meaningful than a random internet recipe, and symbolizes greater ideas like family, unity, and love.

“But at the last minute, / I grab a tryout packet too.” 

Jude wanted to be a star in her earliest “little girl” dreams with Fatima. For some time after arriving in America, she felt uncomfortable in all the new situations and wanted only to disappear by blending in. Now, though, Jude is ready to begin to allow her true self to take the lead, and her action above proves it.

“Hoping, I’m starting to think, might be the bravest thing a person can do.” 

Jude reflects on the role of hope in her life and in her family just before Thanksgiving. She, Mama, and Baba have no idea where Issa is or if he is alive, but rather than assume the worst, Jude chooses to hope for his safety and well-being, even knowing that hope might result in greater pain if bad news comes.

“I’ve decided it is very American

to have the audacity

to claim that three things

add up to everything.”

Jude’s analysis of a paradoxical claim on ads and billboards demonstrates her continually strengthening ability to observe and evaluate her surroundings. It is also important to note that she loosely associates this thought with Sarah, who “walks with purpose” and speaks her mind. Jude is reminded of the bold billboards when Sarah strides into the kitchen on the morning they go sledding.

“I hear my brother’s voice / in my head, filling in the melody.” 

Jude has no way to both keep her audition a secret from Mama and practice it with any accompaniment, so she sings alone in the bedroom without music. This song was entirely her brother’s, as he used to belt it standing on the furniture in his younger days back home; Jude’s memory of him singing it runs in her mind and provides the imaginary background music she needs. The song’s title—“I Will Always Love You”—is also significant, capturing Jude’s feelings for the family she has left behind in Syria. 

“I am going to give her,

give everyone,

a reason to know how to say my name,

my full name.”

Mrs. Bloom mispronounces Jude’s last name as she calls her to the stage to audition. This is a notable moment because instead of letting the incident throw her, Jude feels a stirring of anger and uses it to motivate her performance at tryouts. Symbolically, she is beginning to weave together her Syrian and American identities (her name and dreams of stardom, respectively).

“You got a part!”

Layla and Jude celebrate right after seeing the cast list. Jude’s earning of the role in the musical symbolizes her intuitive knowledge that taking risks is a big part of acceptance.

“How do I put into words what I think it would be like

to stand on a rock

in the middle of a black expanse?

To look down at our world

and see it with new eyes?” 

Jude is thrilled to talk to Miles after so many months of being curious about him. When he asks what it might be like to walk on the moon, she struggles momentarily both with a lack of confidence in her English and the slight awkwardness and nervousness she feels in finally talking to him.

“For the first time since I’ve been in America, / I wish I didn’t read English.” 

Jude is horrified to see the vandalism of Layla’s parents’ restaurant. It is a more shocking and hurtful incident than any so far in America, despite the fact that it did not happen directly to Jude; it’s so painful, in fact, that her wish to be unable to read English constitutes a symbolic rejection of American identity. Jude also experiences a few painful weeks of Layla distancing herself in her own struggle with her identity and social acceptance. This shows Jude that cruel, bigoted acts have far-reaching repercussions.

“I wish I could look / into the future.” 

Jude’s thoughts often turn to Issa, from whom no one has heard for months. In a break at rehearsal, Jude tells Miles about Issa’s plight and that she would like to know if he will be okay. Miles demonstrates maturity with his quiet support; he mentions that it is a good sign that Orion’s constellation is in the sky.

“It is beautiful and I tell her so,

but I am also trying to tell her,

You belong here,

You make beautiful things.” 

Jude compliments Layla’s work on the musical sets, but the message she wants Layla to hear is deeper than that. The quote highlights the struggle with acceptance that Jude witnesses in Layla, who is American-born but sometimes considered an outsider because of her ethnicity.

“I didn’t know it was possible / to love one tiny person / so, so much.” 

Baby Amal is born and Jude is overwhelmed with love for her. Jude notices everything from her red, wrinkly skin to her dazed eyes. This moment represents the happy and joyful impact the baby has on the household; Aunt Michelle and Sarah also love Amal very much.

“You’re all so beautiful.” 

Issa is finally able to make contact from an international aid worker’s computer. He notices Jude’s headscarf and grown-up appearance and sees baby Amal for the first time. The line carries weighty subtext, which Jude implicitly understands as she reflects on Issa’s role in trying to help Syria become a better place for people to live. Issa is both making a sacrifice to fight for freedoms for families like his and fulfilling a suitable role for himself that allows him to appreciate others’ paths in life.