Book Review: Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini

A father and a son prepare to leave their homeland and cross the ocean to--what they hope will be--a safe new home.

Buy this book

I purchased my copy from Bolen Books

Illustrated by Dan Williams

Published by Viking

an imprint of Penguin Canada

a division of Penguin Random House Canada

Published in 2018

This narrative poem gives a voice to refugees. Hosseini writes of the love they have for their country, of the memories of better times. He writes of the love they have for their family and the desire for a better life. I'm overwhelmed by the sacrifice, by the courage, by the hope and I wonder what I would do. Could I be that brave? 

Because many of us are fortunate enough not to be in this situation, we may see refugees as other. Hosseini helps us to see their humanity. Look back in your family tree, you may be fortunate enough to be a descendant...

In the 1800s, my maternal Icelandic ancestors were squeezed onto a ship like cattle. Due to inclimate weather conditions, half of the populations had no choice but to leave. They could only take a few belongings. They had no idea what awaited when they docked. They hoped a new life, a new home. 

After reading this book... After researching your family genealogy... You may ask, how can I help?

4 Ways You Can Support Refugees

8 practical ways to help refugees

UNHCR Canada

The note on the dust jacket reads...

'Khaled Hosseini will donate author proceeds from this book to UNCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and to The Khaled Hosseini Foundation to help fund life-saving relief efforts to help refugees around the globe.'

Other recommended illustrated books   

photo by ldyck

August on this blog...

August 4:  guest post:  
Interview with author Ellen Schwartz

Ellen discusses establishing her career, what inspires her, and the importance of belonging to a writing group--like CWILL-BC.

August 11:  book review:  
Quintland Sisters by Shelley Wood

Shelley Wood uses the power of fiction to reveal the truth behind the seemingly fairy tale childhood of the Dionne quintuplets.

'the only book published in 2019 by a Canadian to hit the [best-seller] list' reports Publishers Weekly

August 18:  short story:  
The Invisible Woman 

Was this short story inspired by The Invisible Man (a novel by H.G. Wells)? Maybe...

August 25:  book review:  
The Princess Dolls by Ellen Schwartz

Set in 1942, two girls--one Jewish-Canadian and the other Japanese-Canadian--bond over their mutual admiration of Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.

My favourite graphic novels by Leanne Dyck

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Written by Richard Bach

Photographs by Russell Munson

Published by Avon Books

Publishing date:  January 1973

127 pages

A classic. It's a story about a seagull, but Jonathan Livingston Seagull is no ordinary seagull. 

'For most gulls, it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight.'

The Tattooed Map

Barbara Hodgson 

Published in Canada by Raincoast Book Distribution Ltd.

Published in 1995

(no page numbers are given)

'A traveler to North Africa is shocked to discover that the mysterious marks on her hand have developed into a detailed and macabre map spreading across her skin. In The Tattooed Map, we follow Lydia's journal entries as she becomes increasingly drawn into the mystery of the map traced over her body. When Lydia disappears and her traveling partner, Christopher, takes up her journal, the situation becomes even more puzzling--until the book's bizarre resolution.'

 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Jonathan Safran Foer

Published by Mariner Books

Published in 2005

Houghton Mifflin Company

 326 pages

'Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York. His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11. This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhiliarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey.'

My review 

 

Ducks: two years in the oil sands by Kate Beaton

In 2005, like the three hundred ducks stuck in a tailing pond, Canadian lives were being chewed up and spit out in the northern Alberta oil sands. But Kate Beaton is quick to point out: 'you can have both good and bad at the same time in the same place.'

My review

Fox 8 by George Saunders

This 49-page illustrated short novel packs a powerful punch.

My review

More...

And newly released by Penguin Random House 
Sea Prayer by Khaled Hosseini
48 pages
'An illustrated book on the refugee crisis.'

'Dementia-friendly' picture books
so cool!

A Brief History of Book Illustration

Why I Write Graphic Nonfiction by Jonathan Hennessey

photo by ldyck

On this blog in October...

Sunday, October 7 
A Writer's Journey (short story)
This blog wouldn't exist without your support, dear reader. So it's appropriate that the blog anniversary is so close to Thanksgiving. I wrote this short story to celebrate our 8th year anniversary. I hope you enjoy it.

Sunday, October 14

Canada's Best Books 2018 (list)
The Man Booker, G.G., Rogers trust, the Giller... It's award season. One of the most exciting times of the year to be a reader of books by Canadian authors. So what are the best books in Canada? 

Sunday, October 21
Art Class (short story)

What's it like to be a twelve-year-old student with an undiagnosed learning disability?

Sunday, October 28 
Book review:  Super! by Jennifer Chen (middle-grade novel)
magical realism

'Abby' photo by ldyck

Sharing my author journey...

This summer I took a break from submitting manuscripts, but now