Other Words for Home

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Middle Grade | Published in 2019

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Vocabulary

Essay Topics

Quiz

Part 5Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 5: “Growing”

Part 5, Poems 1-8 Summary

On a computer call, Baba sees Jude’s headscarf. He tells her that she looks grown up and that he is proud. Jude asks if Baba knows anything about Issa, and Baba says he has not heard anything, but that Issa would be proud too.

Jude’s headscarf catches the attention of passersby who did not seem to notice her before. Layla’s mother embraces and kisses her. Aunt Michelle takes Jude aside and says she wants Jude to know it is her choice. Jude understands that Aunt Michelle cares about her; she also sees that Aunt Michelle does not really understand that the headscarf can mean different things to different countries and cultures, and that her concerns are unfounded. Jude thinks,

I cover my head like other

strong

respected

women have done before me

like Malala Yousafzai

like Kariman Abuljadayed

like my mama (236).

Mrs. Ravenswood notices Jude’s headscarf and tells her simply that she looks nice. Jude is reminded of the Arabic proverb “She makes you feel like a loaf of freshly baked bread,” which refers to those who are kind and “help you rise” (238).

Everyone who auditioned for Beauty and the Beast rushes to see the cast list when it is posted. Layla gets there before Jude and excitedly tells her she got a part. Jude’s role is Plumette the feather duster. It is a small role, but she does have a few lines. Sarah is in the chorus. Harper and Mina were offered tech helper roles, but Sarah says Mina might choose not to participate. Jude knows that Sarah is jealous and angry. When she, Sarah, and Aunt Michelle watch the animated Beauty and the Beast, Sarah tells Jude she will probably have to remove her headscarf because she is supposed to look “sexy.” Jude understands that people like Sarah think “you have to choose” between important things. Mrs. Bloom tells Jude that she has “punch / liters of it” (243), which earned her the role. Sarah tells Jude she got the part because she already has an accent.

Mrs. Bloom encourages the cast and crew to get to know each other so that they can work together on a great show. She places them in groups of four. Jude finally meets Miles, the boy in the space t-shirts. They chat quietly, and Jude likes him very much. Jude enjoys staying for play practices, which run late enough that the cast often eats dinner together. Jude tells Miles she is happy to eat plenty of pizza. He asks if she had pizza where she was from, and Jude tells him that in Syria, it was tourists who frequented the pizza restaurants. Miles tells Jude he thinks it’s “cool” that she grew up in another place.

Part 5, Poems 9-15 Summary

Jude hopes for a Valentine gesture from Miles, but at school that morning, her locker is empty. Layla tells Jude about an attack on a distant city that caused violence and bloodshed, and she warns Jude that “now [she] will learn what it means to be a / Muslim / in America” (260). That afternoon a stranger accosts Jude, following her down the street and telling her to return to where she came from. She is shocked and walks away. Miles catches up and apologizes; he witnessed the scene but did not know what to say to the man. Jude feels embarrassed that Miles saw what happened. He apologizes again and asks her where she is going. Instead of telling him she is going to her uncle’s house, she says, “Home” (265).

Jude and Miles discover they live near one another. Jude goes by Miles’s house to meet Sputnik, Miles’s dog. They play with Sputnik in Miles’s yard as they chat about rehearsals. Miles also tells Jude that he understands being treated as though one is different from others. Miles says, “It’s not a bad thing […] you know?” (267-68).

Jude is flabbergasted that many Americans hate Muslims in general because of the attack. Layla tries to explain to Jude that because this attack happened in the West instead of in a Middle Eastern country, it was unexpected and inspired fear. Jude is bothered by the assumptions people make about her country; she says Syria was not always known for violence and will someday change. Within days of the attack, a vandal paints the word “Terrorists” across the front of Ali Baba. Jude and Miles see it on the way home from school, and the sight makes Jude tearful.

Jude tells Mama what happened at Layla’s parents’ restaurant. Mama says that they must help Layla and her parents. Jude says she wishes Issa was there because he would know what to do, but Mama tells Jude that Issa’s anger is not the only way to behave, and that Jude is strong in her calmness: “That will help you navigate situations like this” (278). Jude goes to Ali Baba to comfort Layla, but Layla does not want to talk. Jude persists, and Layla tries to explain that she is unlike Jude in that she will never belong anywhere. In America, she appears to be Lebanese and will always remind Americans of “the guy” who committed the violent act or someone “the guy who did it loves” (281). If she were to go to Lebanon, however, no one would accept her because she is American. Jude tries to be supportive, but Layla wants her to go.

Part 5, Poems 16-22 Summary

Layla continues to shun Jude at school and rehearsals. Jude concentrates on trying to improve her characterization of Plumette even though she does not genuinely feel Plumette’s confidence. One evening during a large group dance number, Jude becomes out of sync with the other cast members and causes several of them to misstep. Mrs. Bloom announces a break. Miles and Jude go outside. Miles is concerned for Jude, and she tells him about Issa. Miles mentions that the fact that the constellation Orion is visible might be a good sign.

Jude tries to ask Uncle Mazin after dinner one night why Americans seem to hate people of Middle Eastern descent. He echoes Mama, saying that it was one person acting in hate and that he and Jude both truly belong in America. He also indicates that Jude does not have to choose just one country to claim as home. Jude’s spirits rise when a brief postcard arrives from Fatima. Now Jude has an address to send her letters to, and she knows that Fatima and Aunt Amal are safe.

Mama helps to organize a benefit evening at the mosque with the proceeds and donations going to help Layla’s parents’ restaurant. Aunt Michelle, Uncle Mazin, and Sarah all attend, and even Sarah appears to have a great time. Layla hails Jude and apologizes for being standoffish; the two repair their friendship. Layla tells Jude she believes Issa would be very proud of both Jude and Mama.

Back home, Uncle Mazin is happy to have met and spoken with so many other immigrants. Sarah calls Jude into her bedroom and apologizes for saying Layla was weird during the sledding outing. She sincerely wants to know if she can do anything to help Layla.

Part 5 Analysis

Jude learns new roles in this part of the novel, which Warga appropriately titles “Growing.” The character development Jude attempts for the role of Plumette symbolizes her growth into other roles. She learns that wearing her headscarf is a choice that prompts reactions from others, some pleasant (like Mrs. Ravenswood, who simply tells her how nice she looks) and others mildly frustrating (like Aunt Michelle, who seems to require reassurance that Jude’s choice to cover is truly her own). She also realizes that others may unfairly pigeonhole her when the stranger on the street tells her she is not welcome in America. Until Layla explains, Jude does not realize that some Americans think of Syria (and the Middle East generally) as a place of war and violence. This surprises and saddens Jude, as she has known her hometown in peaceful times and hopes that it will someday return to peace. Jude also experiences the new role of having a crush on a boy. Miles is quiet and thoughtful like Jude; he empathizes with her about feeling “different” from others and acknowledges that her emigrating from another country is “cool.”

Others grow into new roles in this part of the novel as well. Mama spearheads a benefit at the mosque for Layla’s parents, bringing together the community after the act of vandalism. This shows that she is gaining strength and confidence in her new life in America. Uncle Mazin enjoys his evening at the mosque and accepts and acknowledges how good it felt to speak to other immigrants, which implies he’s learning to reconcile his American and Syrian identities. Finally, Sarah admits to Jude that she was wrong about Layla, and that she would like to help the family if she can. Here, Jude again reflects on the Arabic proverb, “She cannot give what she doesn’t have” (305), understanding its meaning better than she did before: Sarah’s perspective changed as a result of the benefit, and since she now sees Layla and her parents as community members, she has the heart to try to help them.