Home of the Brave

Applegate, Katherine. Home of the Brave. New York, NY: Square Fish, 2007. Print.

In Home of the Brave, Kek, a Sudanese immigrant to America (Minnesota, specifically), tries to adjust to his new home, retain his past, discover whether his mother is alive and forge a new identity.  He does this while taking care of a cow whom he relates to and meeting new friends.

Looking at the readability lexile, the language in Home of the Brave is around the upper elementary level because sentences are simple, however, Kek and his Sudanese family in Minnesota speak broken English, which may be a challenge for some readers to read and more importantly understand. 

Cognitively, the events of Kek’s past as well as his struggles and eventual maturation in Minnesota show a real-time chronological layout that takes place in Minnesota.  There are also flashbacks to Sudan, which may confuse some students who could be use to a linear style of storytelling.  Regardless, knowing the order of events and how they fit in to the present is key to understanding the text. 

Socially, I would place the text at the upper elementary age, students are certainly aware and have noticed similarities and differences between cultures.  In Home of the Brave the importance of, as Norton says, "Wanting to do a job well", such as Kek on the farm and helping out at home, may be relatable to upper elementary students.  Also, students have a sense of justice, such as Kek being reunited with his mother.  Young readers may resist Kek's imperfections in American society as they know he means well and has a caring heart.

Looking at the characteristics of high quality literature, I felt Kek was a many-sided individual who experienced emotions meaningful to adolescent readers.  Kek is many-sided in that he is from Africa but is trying to survive in America.  His culture is encountering another culture and his understanding of people, traditions (how cows are treated), food (ketchup) and the world around him (Minnesota is so gray).  This marriage of cultures, however awkward, would be interesting to students because it is American culture viewed through the lens of another culture.  This would allow students to see how other may perceive the world they have known their entire life. 

His love to his missing mother and the loyalty he shares toward the cow is meaningful to adolescent readers because the text makes them seem real and believable through Kek's words, feelings and thoughts.  Secondly, I truly commend the book for not showing any stereotypes or belittling Kek as an immigrant.  I felt his point of view was honest and legitimately portrayed what someone new to America might think and say.  His words, while not perfect, were easy enough to understand and kept the reader's interest.  In my mind it was Ms. Applegate who somehow got inside a Sudanese immigrant's head, stole the thoughts and wrote Home of the Brave.

The three literary elements I saw in Home of the Brave were: characterization, setting as an antagonist and style.  Kek's character was someone I wanted to take under my wing and show him the world.  I didn't feel sorry for him, but I could tell through his thoughts and actions that he was a respectable and hardworking person.  Kek's dedication to the cow was the prime example of his personality and candor.  He went out of his way to introduce himself to the female owner of the cow, get to know the cow, help replace its fence and ultimately bring it to the zoo so it could live a life of ear scratches. 

In setting as an antagonist, the entire environment surrounding Kek throughout his life has been an antagonist.  From the violence in Sudan that almost claimed his mother to the confusion of being in a new land and struggling to understand the language, Kek's surroundings have often been extremely challenging and frustrating.  When Kek wanted to clean the dishes and put them in the clothes washer instead of the dishwasher, his general idea was correct, but the differences in washers in an American cultural setting made this a disaster, however well meaning it was. 

Finally, I felt the style of Home of the Brave was extremely unique. With so few words printed on each page, there seemed to be even more that was said.  The sentence structure of Kek's words, specifically the "so close" moments when he tries to explain or say something (a slam dunk is called a, "Dunk slam" for example) and planes being called, "Flying boats" were all nuggets of Kek's understanding of the new world of Minnesota and ultimately the unique writing of Applegate.
An idea for a mini lesson would be to bring in objects from another culture, not describe what they are used for or their name, and have students guess what the object does and what they would call it.  This is how Kek probably interpreted new things in America.  This would provide students with a greater understanding of Kek's challenges and how difficult understanding a new culture can be.

In retrospect, I would put Home of the Brave at the lower level of upper elementary reading.  The book is slightly more male-centered than female, but I feel all young readers regardless of gender or culture can find a rewarding center in the book with its cultural struggle and familial upbeat conclusion.