The Orange Houses

Author: Paul Griffin
Original Date of Publication: 2009

Main Characters
Tamika (Mik) Sykes: 15-year-old girl suffering from partial hearing loss who likes to turn off her hearing aid to draw and shut out the world. 
Jimmi Sixes: 18-year-old war veteran who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and is trying to find a reason to live.
Fatima: 16-year-old refugee from Africa trying to find a new beginning and yearning to see the Statue of Liberty.

Setting

The setting in the book takes place in several places in Bronx, NY. The time frame is within the years of America’s last war. More specifically, the story takes place within the 27 days before Jimmy is hung. As stated as the title of the book, the Orange Houses is where Tamika lives. Jimmy lives in a hideaway and Fatima lives in a small basement apartment. The Orange Houses is a low income area, and as the story progresses, the reader realize it is a place filled with hope.

Questions and Issues
There are many issues in the book, The Orange Houses.  One of the main issues is the idea of dealing with differences.  All of the main characters are very different from one another, and different from the people in their neighborhood, as well.  Because of their differences, the people in the neighborhood have a hard time not judging them and creating assumptions about them.  The main characters, however, use their differences in a positive way.  They see that their differences bring them together.  The issue of immigration is also found in this book.  Fatima illegally immigrated to the United States and is constantly being reminded that illegal immigration laws are being strictly enforced.  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is another issue in this book.  Jimmi is just 18 years old and already a war veteran.  He is dealing with the effects of seeing a little girl being killed while at war, as well as the death of his girlfriend and baby.  These events sent Jimmi into a downward spiral of depression and drug use.  Also in this book, disability is a major issue.  Mik is deaf and has to wear hearing aids.  Because of her disability, she is always being made of, causing her to stay silent most of the time even though she can speak.

Theme
There are a lot of important themes that run through the novel, The Orange House.  The one that sticks out the most is the theme of friendship.  Jimmi is the one that brings Mik and Fatima together.  A friendship between the two starts to blossom. All three of them are friends but they are all very different from each other.  This novel shows that you can have great friends that are different and special in many different ways.  It also shows that your friends will always be there for you.  Some examples of them being there for each other are when Fatima walks Mik home from school or when Fatima throws herself in front of Jimmi when he is getting beaten.  They all give each other strength and that what makes them great friends.

Another theme that is evident through the book is hope.  Fatima is the one who is always optimistic and is always having hope even when she is not certain about some issues.  You see her have hope that she will not get caught being in the U.S., you also see her have hope that her sister is still alive.  Fatima's hope brings everyone close to her hope.  You can see the hope that is brought in Mik when she believes that Fatima will become a citizen.

The last major theme that is carried on throughout the novel is the outlet of art. All three of the main characters have artistic abilities.  Mik has her drawings, Fatima has her paper angels and animals, and Jimmi has his poetry.  For all of them, art is there outlet.  It is a way to express themselves and in some sense it gives them hope as well.  Fatima's angels give her guidance, and when she does not have money for anything she can make herself something out of newspaper.  Mik's drawings help her express herself in a noisy world.  Mik does not speak very much, however, she has the ability to speak to other people through her drawings without using words.  Jimmi's poetry helps him show other people how he is feeling.  Most people do not give him the time of day and they think he is just crazy, but his poetry resembles the pain and the trauma he has gone through.