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 6Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 6: “Living”

Part 6, Poems 1-6 Summary

In ESL class, the students celebrate Ben’s family’s citizenship ceremony. Then they practice verb tenses, and Grace remarks that the verb “ran” is easy to conjugate in the past tense; Jude replies, “Maybe it’s all getting easier” (310).

At play practice Jude sees Layla and reflects appreciatively on Layla’s work on the set. Uncle Mazin comes to get Jude; Mama is in labor. They drive to the hospital. Jude reflects that the baby will always belong and will “make anywhere beautiful” (312). Mama names the baby Amal, a nod to both Aunt Amal and hope. Jude is overwhelmed with love for her sister and notices every little detail about her. The baby brings positivity and joy to the household. Sarah comments that she thinks Amal looks like Jude, Uncle Mazin, and herself; when Jude asks if she means that she and Sarah resemble one another in appearance, Sarah says, “Of course. / We’re cousins” (313). Baba and Mama talk often over the computer so that Baba can see and watch Amal, but Issa is still absent.

Part 6, Poems 7-11 Summary

One morning Mama hurries to get Jude; Issa called and is able to talk on the computer. Jude is thrilled to see his smile and hear his laugh. Issa comments on how grown-up Jude looks now and tells Amal it is an honor to meet her. Issa looks thin and will not promise to avoid danger, but Jude thinks “[H]e seems more at peace / than [she has] ever seen him” (323). She realizes he is fulfilled right now in a way that she is fulfilled by performing in the play. Jude finds Miles at school to tell him that Issa is alive. Miles is happy for Jude and points to the constellation of Orion on his shirt: “I knew there was a reason / to wear my Orion shirt today” (325).

Mama wants Baba and Issa to come to America but knows how difficult it will be for them to emigrate now. Jude reminds Mama that Issa is fighting a worthy cause and that they “should be proud of him” (326). Mama is not as optimistic as Jude, but Jude tells her they should have hope.

The cast completes its last dress rehearsal; Mrs. Bloom tells them she is very proud. For the show, Mama French braids Jude’s hair. She wears it hidden beneath her headscarf, but the presence of the braided style boosts Jude’s confidence and helps her to feel more in character. On opening night, Jude waits in the wings. The audience loves the opening act, responding with eager applause. Jude waits for her cue. When she finally steps out onto the stage, the brightness of the lights takes a second to get accustomed to: “I squint a little, / but then I adjust to the spotlight” (332).

Part 6 Analysis

Jude’s characterization develops quickly in Part 6 of the novel. The greatest impetus for her coming-of-age and completed character arc is the birth of her baby sister Amal. Amal represents hope to Jude in both a literal and figurative sense. The name Amal translates to “hope,” and naming the baby after Aunt Amal is a straightforward nod to the family’s hope that Amal, Fatima, and others will remain safe. Baby Amal inspires Jude to accept and welcome hope with a level of maturity she has not previously shown. In fact, it is Jude who reminds Mama to continue hoping for even difficult or seemingly impossible outcomes (such as Baba and Issa coming to America). This is evident when Mama discourages Jude’s assessment of Issa as a “superhero”; instead of deferring to Mama’s opinion or quietly refusing to listen, Jude links her reminder to have hope to Issa’s actions, associating his fight for a more democratic Syria with the hope that it will mean a better life for them all someday. In the same exchange, Jude also shows a measure of maturity not evident earlier in the book regarding Issa’s political motivations; unlike her previous simplistic yearning for an unburdened Issa to come home, sing, and smile, Jude can now comprehend the ways in which Issa finds fulfillment as a person and young adult in his rebellion.

Jude also demonstrates growth of character through the way she interacts with Miles. Earlier in the novel, she only silently observed his behaviors; by Part 6, she actively seeks him out when she arrives at school to share the good news that Issa is alive. The novel’s last scene, as Jude walks from the wings into the spotlight, symbolizes Jude’s readiness to embark on new journeys and her eagerness to show the world who she really is.