Belonging In Katherine Applegate's Home Of The Brave

Kek, the main character in Katherine Applegate’s Home of The Brave, struggles to find belonging as a Sudanese refugee living in Minnesota. Kek tries to help hope win the battle between fear, and successfully, during Part Two of the story, Kek begins to make some forward progress. But Keks cycle of belonging has not ended, and I am sad to say that Kek is still alienated from America as much as he belongs in America.

In part two of Home of the Brave Kek feels more like he belongs. For example,”I think maybe I’ll like living here in America, I say to Ganwar” That day at school Kek made friends, got his own desk, a feast at the cafeteria, and nice teachers. He had a wonderful time seeing all the wonderful materialistic objects and food America has. In the short period when Kek lived in Africa, his village moved with the cows, this means he

To get all these presents at once made overwhelming happy the book says, “My mouth just won’t stop smiling. . But what is more significant than all the materialistic objects in his school is the emotional connection that Hannah provides. For example,“Don’t worry. It’ll get easier. I’ll help you.” A moment of struggle becomes a relief as Kek connects to Hannah and takes in Hannah’s care. Hannah has been a huge help to Kek in part 2 of Home of the Brave, because of Hannah, Kek has a guide book to America Ganwar has never had, because of Hannah, Kek is still the happy and optimistic boy he was in Africa, because of Hannah, Kek knows what is good in America and what is bad in America ( aka what to eat), and because of Hannah Kek doesn’t come home smelling like smoke like Ganwar, who is probably involved in some sort of gang. As Kek once said, he will learn, word by slow slow word. And he is making progress. For example,”The floors shine like ice. I walk carefully.“ Now if you belong in America you probably wouldn’t walk carefully on