Author: Jasmine Warga
Narrator: Vaneh Assadourian
Playback: 3hrs 50m
Publisher Harper Collins
Genre: Fiction, Middle Grade, Contemporary
First Published May 28, 2019
Book description: I am learning how to be sad and happy at the same time.
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. The American movies that Jude has always loved haven’t quite prepared her for starting school in the US—and her new label of “Middle Eastern,” an identity she’s never known before. 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.
Review:
This is the second book I read by Jasmine Warga. This was a perfect pick!
The story follows Jude, it starts with her and her family in Syria. She has a very normal childhood, along with her older brother and best friend with whom she enjoys American films and practicing English phrases. She lives a very carefree existence. Things start to change suddenly, first her brother becomes distant and stops playing along with their plays along, especially after he joins the youth groups in his college. They are revolutionaries, they want a change for their country but Jude does not really understand what he means by the change for their country.
She does not really care about politics, children's naivete to its fullest.
Everything about it was beautiful. The writing was so poetic and captivating that it kept me fully immersed in the story of the protagonist, Jude. I was impressed with how the author, Warga, explored the complex family dynamics that Jude experienced in Syria and America. Overall, it was an amazing read that I highly recommend to others.
It shows a very realistic image of what a newcomer can feel in the whole new world of living in a new country. At first, when Jude arrives in USA, she feels alienated from her family. They arrive to stay with her uncle, his wife is American, and their daughter.
Her cousin and Jude start off on the wrong foot, she does not like foreigners, their weird way of dressing, the language they share with her father, the different cuisine - and overall she's very jealous of the attention her father shows to Jude.
Of course, Jude experiences bullying at the hands of classmates and even random people in the street which I wish I could say is unbelievable especially after a terrorist attack happens. It illustrated how some Westerners can find themselves so immersed in bigotry that they would blame a classmate and fellow community member for an attack that had nothing to do with them; that they would assume that everyone who is a Muslim is a terrorist.
The well-meaning people also show a different kind of discrimination, they do not understand other cultures and do not seem to respect them, ignorance is not exactly an absolute pass. Acts based on ignorance can also be hurtful. Jude experience this prejudice at school and in the community, but also at home with her aunt who didn't understand how excited Jude was to wear her hijab. For Jude it was sign of maturity and a journey into a new part of her life while her aunts simply saw it as a symbol of oppression. Her attitude makes a young girl feel attacked and also she sees how the resentment is focused on her mother, as her cousin and aunt think she's "forcing" Jude to hide herself in a hijab. That is a very good example of how young people born in America especially can start to feel their culture is something to be ashamed of, because of how they and their family dynamics are assumed to be if they are traditionalists.
I really enjoyed reading this book. The author did a great job of balancing the difficult moments that the main character faced with moments of joy and bravery. Jude's courage was truly inspiring, and I found myself rooting for him throughout the entire story. It's rare to find a book that can tackle heavy subject matter like this while still providing moments of hope and lightness. Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a powerful and uplifting read.
I used this for challenges:
Busswordathon: "Other"
YA/Children's books
Good representation- We see Racial, religious, and different cultures in a positive light. Also, we see a few mental disorders: depression, and imposter syndrome- it does not have to the main focus but seeing it shown is different styles of stories.
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