Home of the Brave

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Middle Grade | Published in 2007

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Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

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Themes

Holding on to Hope

Although hope is in short supply for some characters in the novel, it is the force that keeps Kek going in a new and confusing country. Kek has fled from violence and upheaval in his native Sudan and traveled alone to the United States. Kek’s father and older brother were killed, and Kek was forced to leave his mother behind to save his own life. Despite all this, Kek remains positive and believes he will reunite with his mother because “[h]oping isn’t foolish […] / If I can make it all the way here, / then anything can happen” (44). In this quote, Kek explains to Ganwar that if someone like Kek can make it from Sudan to America, then anything is possible. While others may dismiss Kek’s hope as naïve or idealistic, Kek has done the impossible, and this proof lends logic to his optimism.

Hope is a necessity for Kek, especially in the times when he is surrounded by negativity and begins to doubt himself. For example, Kek learns that the Refugee Resettlement Center is actively looking for his mother in other refugee camps in Africa, but he is told that the chances of finding her are slim. When Kek makes hopeful comments concerning his reunion with his mother, his aunt and cousin treat him with pity or skepticism. Ganwar tells Kek that their family back in Africa is dead and believes that Kek is foolish for having hope, but Kek doesn’t answer because he is afraid his cousin might be right. When Kek breaks his aunt’s dishes in the clothes washing machine, Hannah says they might glue some of the parts back together, but she warns Kek not to get his hopes up. Kek mentions that he is getting used to others telling him to temper his positive attitude.

Kek’s positivity is partly due to his youth, but it is also an aspect of his personality that he still retains, despite the trauma and adversity he has experienced in his life. There is security and comfort in the piece of blue and yellow fabric that Kek carries with him: This tangible item connects Kek with his mother and is a symbol of hope, one that comes full circle once Kek and his mother are reunited, and she arrives wearing a scarf made from the same blue and yellow fabric. The hope this fabric once symbolized now transforms into a joyful reality through Kek and his mother’s reunion.

Family and Friendship

The attack on Kek’s family’s camp in Sudan rips Kek’s family apart: His father and older brother are killed, and he is separated from his mother, unsure if she is still alive. When he arrives in the United States, Kek goes to live with his aunt and older cousin, family members he has not seen since the attack. Though he is related to his aunt and cousin, he does not feel as if they are his “real” family: His “real” family is his mother, father, and brother; without them he is lost and feels like a stranger in his aunt’s household. However, he makes strides to strengthen his familial bonds, while also creating his own family with his friends Hannah, Lou, and the cow, Gol.

Hannah is one of the first people Kek meets when he arrives in America. She becomes Kek’s mentor, the person who helps him navigate the confusion that surrounds him as he tries to become part of American culture. Despite her own personal tragedy—Hannah’s mother is in a substance abuse rehabilitation program, and Hannah stays with a foster family—she reaches out to Kek and offers friendship with a side of sardonic humor. She understands loss and how it feels to be an outsider—common ground on which Hannah and Kek build their friendship.

Hannah also helps Kek secure his first job: tending to Lou’s cow, a sacred animal in Kek’s culture who represents the bridge from Kek’s previous life, country, and family to his present. Kek’s positive attitude appeals to Lou, and his story stirs up memories of Lou’s own family: She sees in Kek an image of her late husband, who also came to America as an immigrant and started from scratch to build a life of worth and value; Lou also thinks of her own ancestors who traveled to America from Ireland. She believes that Kek deserves a chance in this new country, which prompts her to offer him both a job and her friendship.

Assimilation: Adjusting to a New Home and Culture

When Kek thinks of home, he thinks of the camp in Sudan. Even living with his aunt and cousin does not feel like home. The closest he comes to replicating the feeling of being at home is when he spends time on Lou’s farm with Gol the cow. Only there can he feel some connection to the life he left behind—a life of physical work, cattle, and family. However, Kek understands that America is his new home.

As soon as Dave picks up Kek at the airport, Kek assumes that assimilation is key to fitting in within this new country. Kek throws himself wholeheartedly into becoming as American: He learns about the culture and language through speech and ESL classes, and he interacts with hyper-capitalist settings like malls and grocery stores. Kek finds the notion of paper currency foreign and bizarre and is overjoyed in obtaining a library card, something that many American-born children his age would be none too concerned about. In this way, Kek’s assimilation forces the reader to look at aspects of American culture through a lens of objectivity that can be easily set aside and forgotten about.

In contrast, Ganwar resents Kek’s wide-eyed enthusiasm and naiveté regarding his new life in America. For Ganwar, America has not been a land of hope but instead a constant reminder of what he has lost and why he cannot fit into American society. Ganwar represents many immigrants and refugees who feel overwhelmed trying to find their place in America. When Kek asks if his aunt is happy to be in America, she notes, “The freedom is a great gift […] To choose your leaders. To walk the streets unafraid” (90). However, she confesses that America is a lonely place for an older woman who is set in her ways. She hopes that change will be easier for Kek and Ganwar because they are younger. The younger generation’s adaptability is what Kek’s aunt is counting on to make the transition to a new culture smoother and easier than it was for her.