This precious, short prayer is from a father to his son. The book was written by Khaled Hosseini, yes that Khaled Hosseini author of The Kite Runner, and dedicated to the thousands of refugees who have perished at sea fleeing war and persecution. The father tells his son Marwan that he wishes he could know the beauties of his country, especially his grandfather's farm and the bustling old city of Homs where neighbors "haggle over gold pendants and fresh produce and bridal dresses." He tells his son he wishes he knew good things that he grew up with instead of the things the son knows, like swimming pools made out of bomb craters and starvation. The father prays that the sea will spare his son, his most precious possession so he can make it to safety. the illustrations done in water color by Dan Williams give a dramatic feeling of the ravishes of war and the fury of the sea, yet the gentleness of the father and his memories.
Hosseini was inspired to write this book by the story of Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian boy drowned in the Mediterranean Sea trying to reach safety in 2015. Since his death, at the time of publication, 4,176 others have died attempting the same journey. Proceeds of this book will go to UNHCR, the UN Relief agency and to the Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund relief efforts for refugees around the world.
Sea Prayer is like that rare songbird singing on a winter morning, only to fly away in a moment. Inspired by the haunting image of young Alan Kurdi, the three-year-old Syrian boy whose body washed up on the beach in Turkey in September 2015, it is a touching tribute to the families of the refugees who've lost everything but their memories of wartime.
Alan Kurdi, another life lost at sea.
Its only flaw, though, is its incredibly short length. Written in the form of a touching letter from a refugee father to his child, author proceeds from this book will be donated to UNHCR and The Khaled Hosseini Foundation in the hopes of giving the ones who've lost all to war and persecution a better life.
Sea Prayer is a father’s reflection as he watches over his sleeping son, on the dangerous journey across the sea that lies before them. It is also an account of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city’s swift transformation from a home into a deadly war zone.
The book is beautifully illustrated by British painter Dan Williams.
