A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea (Young Readers' Edition): The Journey of Doaa Al Zamel: One Teen Refugee's Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival

by Melissa Fleming

The extraordinary true story of one teen refugee's quest to find a new life--now adapted for young readers

A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea tells the story of Doaa Al-Zamel, a Syrian girl whose life was upended in 2011 by her country's brutal civil war. She and her family escape to Egypt, but life soon quickly becomes dangerous for Syrians in that country. Doaa and her fianc� decide to flee to Europe to seek safety and an education, but four days after setting sail on a smuggler's dilapidated fishing vessel along with five hundred other refugees, their boat is struck and begins to sink...

Doaa's eye-opening story, as told by Melissa Fleming, represents the millions of unheard voices of refugees who risk everything in a desperate search for a safe future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, School

304 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2018

About the author

I lead communications at the United Nations, informing audiences about the state of the world and engaging them to make it more just, peaceful and sustainable. 

I oversee the UN’s strategic communications operations, including its multilingual news and digital media services, public outreach programs, and global campaigns. 

Promoting healthy information ecosystems, while addressing mis- and disinformation and hate speech, is central to my work. To this end, I led on the development of a UN Global Principles for Information Integrity.

I previously worked in senior communications roles for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 

For my job at UNHCR, I traveled to war zones and refugee camps to give voice to the millions of people forcibly displaced from their homes. I told one remarkable refugee story on the TED stage about an extraordinary 19-year-old Syrian woman who, with the baby she saved, was one of the only survivors of a boat wreck that killed 500 refugees, including her fiancé. I wrote a book on Doaa’s story, A Hope More Powerful than the Sea, which has been published globally in multiple languages.

I am host of the UN podcast, Awake at Night, where I interview extraordinary people serving on the frontlines of humanity.

I hold a Master of Science in Journalism from the College of Communication, Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts in German Studies from Oberlin College.

Reviews

[Ceren Ayar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Family is more important than money

[nein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a sad book. it made me genuinely want to cry for her. i can’t even really describe it with words but god it was devastating

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

** spoilers **

Enjoyed
I think it will lose the kids in lengthy descriptions an
purchase young readers edition for middle school

story:
A Hope More Powerful than the Sea
Fear of water
Near drown
Thousands killed over political disagreements
Traditional gender roles
Society Prefers sons
Expected to find new wife so can have a son
Family lives together in one home - can have 30+ people in a home
Father arrested for transporting too much and factory gave him forged papers
In bad prison for four months
Move a few times, hard to open up in new community
Doaa wants more than a traditional female life
In Tunisia, a street vendor set himself on fire, 20
Is this the same as the event I. dancing on the Roofs?
Great vocab
Repressive rulers and government
Countries around Syria were overthrown
Boys painted graffiti on school and were arrested
Much protesting, sit in outside mosque and protestors were shot
Syrian war, 250,000 killed, 5 mil refugees abroad, 6.5mil displaced in country, 26
Boys were returned, had been tortured
Police station on fire, taxi drops the family off because he is too scared to keep going
Another peaceful protest when police shoot into protesters
Further torture of boys detailed
Doaa throw tear gas canisters back at security forces and to cause distractions
Doaa becomes protestor
Government misleads
Some girls who were arrested were raped in front of parents
Tanks, fear of many deaths as happened during previous ruler
Power and water cut
Family can’t leave home
Gunshots at all hours
Tanks run into houses
People pulled
Dad makes girls sleep in abayas so they are covered during raids and must keep a knife
Girls agree to kill selves if they are raped because they can’t live with the shame
Doaa always pushing bounds with parents and putting them in dangers way
Help a man from the free Syrian army
Many people killed
Pregnant woman died and then shot in belly
Bombings begin
Girls nearly killed when getting bread
Dad’s shop hit by missile so he can no longer work
Chain smoking
Lance eye with sty
Bitch
Men try to get Doaa
People tortured n the park at night
Other girls taken
Man killed and thrown in dumpster
Family decide to leave Syria for Egypt
80
Sometimes instead of being strong, Doaa seems to me to be bratty and whiny, she has to have her own way with no regard to others
Older sister stayed behind with her husband
By 2016, Syrians would become the largest displaced population in the world, 84
Not enough money to cross the border
As the war went on, it was difficult and impossible to cross the border, Doaas family was very lucky
Five hour ferry ride with no problem
Writing is so-so, slow moving, too many details and words
Family was part of the first wave of refugees
Within a year there were so many refugees that it was difficult or impossible to support oneself by working odd jobs
Doaa feels responsibility for Family, feels she must help and protect them
Dad depression
The two girls begin working out ages 15 and 17 to support Family, they sew burlap bags from early morning till late at night, nothing to eat during the day
Doaa gets marriage proposals but she is not interested
Been three daughters get sewing work for $50 each per month, more than they were making with the burlap bags
Pay wasn’t as expected because of mysterious deductions
Everyone and Egypt was incredibly welcoming of the refugees
Egyptian leader overthrown and then people’s opinion of Syrian refugees tanked, people no longer wanted the Syrian refugees there
Sexual-harassment of Serien woman
Me and wants to Marry doaa, He is obsessed with her, becomes friends with her mom and mom takes her side, all of her family takes his side, he threatens to kill himself if she won’t marry him
Mom then get sick because she was so worried about the situation with this boy, the boy says he’s going to go back to Syria and help us fight if doaa won’t marry him, ugh!!
Then she realized that she didn’t want him to leave so she accepted his proposal
Another man tries to take doaa
Man threatens that if any Syrian kids go to school then they will be sent back to their parents in pieces, 142
Chemical weapon attack
Pressured to have smugglers take them on ferry to Europe
Doaa decides to go to Europe with Bassem
That year already >2000 immigrants lost life in smugglers boats
Smuggler charges $5000
Smugglers set up 1/2 of refugees to be caught
Doaa and bassem get away
Luggage stolen by police
10 days in prison for leaving county illegally
Another failed attempt and 10 more days in prison
Bought fake life jackets
Smugglers took SIM cards and all Egyptian money
Police shooting at boat
Four days travel, switch boats five times
Mans fingers cut off when boats crash during switch
Boat of Egyptians purposefully crashes refugee boat to kill them
Boat sinks
Many dead in water
Dismembered by propellor blades
Everyone die from cold or exhaustion
A grandp gives his granddaughter to doaa because he is too tired
Bassem dies
Everyone continues to die
In that year, commercial ships saved 40,000
Almost500 people had died
One of the babies died
Was in the water four days
Baby had to live in orphanage for year while uncles claim to her was verified.
Threats against mom and sisters
Nightmares of time in water
Family granted resettlement in Sweden

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful, moving book. The story is heartbreaking but gives such insight into the refugee crisis.

[Jeff Lacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging and illuminating story of the plight of nineteen-year-old Syrian woman, Doaa as she flees her home in Syria and its war, and seeks asylum in Egypt, then across the Mediterranean Sea using smugglers to Europe. Clear writing to a general audience at middle school/young adult level. Many lessons from this intriguing story.

[Amy Smart · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a powerful book. It hits even harder when you realize that everything in this story ACTUALLY happened, and not that long ago. I am not much older than Doaa, and the majority of events in this story happened while I was safe at college in Canada, not even sure what the Syrian Refugee Crisis was, while she was fighting for her life. If you want to gain a deeper understanding of the tragedy of the Syrian Refugee Crisis, read this book! Thank you, Doaa, for allowing your story to be told ❤️

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILER ALERT!

I think this book was conceived as a way to give a huge amount of information in a way that is easy to digest for almost anyone, and in that sense, it totally fulfilled its mission. The author decided to focus on a single person and her family rather than maintain a detached or impersonal account of this situation afflicting and affecting millions right at this moment. I think a book like this should be mandatory reading for school children, along with The Diary of Anne Frank, because it shares some of the same qualities of accessibility. It is the real life story of an average Syrian girl, someone who could have been anyone’s daughter, friend or neighbour, showing the various steps that brought her to having been only one of the eleven survivors of a ship of 500 persons being trafficked out of Egypt due to impossible situations in their home country (the majority were Syrians and Palestinians) or the turmoil and violence they began facing in the country that hosted them already as refugees.

We are introduced to an ordinary girl, in the sense of her being typical, not politically involved, not being rebellious, having a normal social life, a likeable girl with a nice family and yet, struggling for many years with a difficult life due to the increasing poverty of her family. The book sets the scene very well and we understand fully why and how people would protest such a situation they were in, and just how the protests were quelled by blood and siege by a regime that would rather have them dead than listen to any of their demands. The military siege of her city and the brutality of the snipers were described very well, as were the attitudes of the people, the hope and the fear. Brushes with death were constant, women and children were also unsafe as they were sniped at just for going to get bread or visit a grave, then, the bombing of their city started. The book continues to explain how the extended family was torn apart for reasons of safety and there are harrowing trips where often merely dumb luck is what makes the difference between life and death. If you were lucky enough to have some money and the right person to bribe at the right place, maybe you would survive. If not, there was no organisation anywhere in the world that would save you or intervene.

And here is where it begins to be even more depressing. Fleming (the author) works for communications for the UNHCR, so her job is to render the situation of refugees public, but you notice over and over and over again, that the UN and the UNHCR are criminally absent almost everywhere. At borders, at towns in siege, at any kind of structure to assist people, except after they are already in Europe, where it is unable to relocate them somewhere most of the time and keep them in horrible limbos. They simply did not exist even when the amount of internally displaced people in Syria was in the millions. People were going without food and water for days on end, there seemed to be the rule of “fend for yourselves”, and of course, that also meant that while you lost everything you owned and would never get it back, there was no safety net out there that would let you do anything but sink further down or risk your life over and over again. So, I ask, what gives the author the moral authority to tell this story when her org was unable to actively prevent or come to aid in any of the events she illustrates for us? I understand that she feels that raising awareness in the telling of this story will help the refugees, but in practice, does it? Has it? Has anything changed in a meaningful way for the millions who cannot get a legal way out of their country in war and who are prey to traffickers of the worst kind? Is the human trafficking over? Have Humanitarian corridors opened for these people? No. Absolutely not.

All the while reading this, I was filling with anger at how teens, even children, were forced into fending for themselves day after day, or die. It’s not as if the world did not know what was going on. It’s not as if the UN did not witness all of this.

Then, there is the horrible, although the world horrible is an understatement, experience at the hands of the human traffickers. My heart was breaking over and over, knowing so many people and having so many friends who made this same voyage, who left Syria, found an initial warm welcome in Egypt that quickly turned to violence against them when the ASAF staged a coup to oust Morsi, then… into the hands of traffickers, whose cruelty is well known, but when you read it described in such detail of how some decided to sink 500 people, because they had their money… the anger and the pain of all of this flows directly to the surface and you ask, “what is the world and the UN doing to make passage safe and legal? NOTHING!”

The book is totally worthwhile (the best part being the pages written directly by Doaa, and if she had the desire to write, I am sure she would be amazingly powerful) until it gets into the last pages where the author Fleming explains how the book came about and it almost becomes a patting on the back of her organisation! Then there is a brief interview with the creator of Humans of New York who, incredibly, says something that is totally not fact checked because he talks of someone being put in prison because suspected of being with the regime… when only the regime has prisons in Syria…

[Lisa Ann Hultgren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads more like a news article or textbook, but the story is an incredible tale of perseverance. This young girl is incredibly brave for sharing her story, and by doing so, she shares the story of refugees all over the world. We can do better people.

[Makenna Venis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traversing Through Tragedy: A Hope More Powerful Than The Sea - Melissa Fleming

A Hope More Powerful Than The Sea is a book written by Melissa Fleming. This book is based on a real story and explores the detailed life of a Syrian girl named Doaa during the Syrian War. The spectrum of aspects that the book addresses include Syrian culture and lifestyle, nationalism towards one’s country, war refugees, injustice, and perseverance. Readers of this book will be at the edge of their seat as this book draws in and engages readers.

Doaa is the main character of this story and has a very strong personality. She is shy towards others, sweet and calm. However, Doaa is also stubborn and values independence. In her culture, “Boys were more valued than girls, as people believed they would support the family, whereas daughters would marry and turn their attention to their husbands and in-laws,” (Fleming, 7). While this idea is traditional for Syrian citizens, Doaa has bigger plans. Doaa dreams of going to a university and broadening her education, in hopes to someday be able to provide for her family.

Doaa and her family face a multitude of challenges throughout the course of the book. Beginning with family drama. and advancing to being forced out of their home country for their safety, Doaa and her family experience unimaginable conditions. Tough choices are made, danger is prevalent, injustice is around every corner, and grief is abundant. Readers will continually be wondering if there is light at the end of the tunnel for Doaa.

Fleming writes in a style that transports the reader to the very room where the characters sit. Her descriptions and way of illustrating scenes and events through her words keep the readers engaged. I like how she kept character traits consistent throughout the story, but still gave them a chance to grow and improve as a person. While some may consider passages of the book to be slowly paced, I think that this is due to the grand amounts of detail that Fleming includes. The plot of the story produces many layers of obstacles for the characters to handle and resolve, which gives the book a sense of depth. No matter the challenge, the instincts of love, hope, and survival always show through. These qualities are displayed at one point when Doaa notices, “There was no sectarian, religious, or ethnic division here, just people trying to help each other get through the day,” (Fleming, 188). The light that these passages bring encourages the reader throughout the droughts of grief and darkness often found in this book.

This book does a great job of outlining a realistic lifestyle of a refugee fleeing from war. The elements of despair and tragedy hook the readers and allow them to connect to the characters through their sympathy. The book also does a nice job of providing explanations of cultural traditions that readers with little or no background knowledge will benefit from. As previously mentioned, character traits stick with the characters throughout the book. I think this balances the chaos of the story and allows the author to expand on her choices of character traits by testing them against elements of the plot.

I recommend this book to those who are interested in learning about other cultures. It explores Syrian and Middle Eastern cultures, which tend to have very different values from American culture. This book is also great for those who want to learn about war refugees and how it affects those who experience it. If one isn’t specifically curious about the topics of different cultures or war refugees, they still have a high chance of enjoying the book as it also explores inequality, perseverance, and hope. This book will have its readers flipping page after page as it goes through the life of Doaa, who experiences challenges, inequality, fear, loss, and love.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Years ago, I read the book Enrique's Journey: The Story of a Boy's Dangerous Odyssey to Reunite with His Mother and was so moved by it that I actually reached out to the author via email to tell her how affected I was by the story. I am having a similar experience right now: I feel so helpless, and so distraught, by this young woman's story that I have to think of some way to help. My wife and I are supporters of the International Rescue Committee (www.rescue.org)but that hardly seems sufficient in the face of the suffering of tens of millions of refugees around the world. I, literally, can't imagine being driven from my home and forced to make my way in a world as hostile as ours all while trying to figure out where we should go, how we should get there, and what we'll do once we've arrived.

This poor young woman--19 years old from a very sheltered, traditional Muslim family in Syria--tried to make it from Egypt to Italy in a boat filled with 500 other refugees. The boat was purposefully sunk, and she ended up in the water for four days, desperately trying to keep to babies alive as everyone else around her died. Of the 500 people on the boat, fewer than 10 survived.

It is difficult for me to understand how or why human suffering doesn't move other people. I don't know how you can be a human being who hears these stories and isn't prompted to do something, anything, to help. All I feel is compassion for the suffering of the tens of millions of men, women, and children who are in desperate need of aid, all around the world. There are more refugees now than at any other time in human history, including after WWII, when Europe was reduced to smoldering rubble. 70 million displaced people. 70 million. Try and get your head around that number.

Because of our current leadership, and quite frankly, because of a good number of Americans, we are not currently accepting anything more than a trickle of refugees. It is shameful that in a country as rich and prosperous as this one--not to mention one with declining birthrates--we are not doing more to help those who have been displaced by war, famine, and natural disaster.

All of this just breaks my heart.

[Shifa Safadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Such a heart-wrenching beautifully written book about the TRUE story of Syrian Refugee Doaa AlZamel

Summary: Spoilers⭐️
The book documents Doaa’s young life in Daraa, Syria and her likeable, shy personality. Doaa’s dream is to be a policewoman, but then its 2011 and the government starts killing its own people. The city she wanted to protect previously is destroyed by its own president and his forces, and after threats of assault, Doaa’s dad moves the family to Egypt.
Egypt is safe for a while...until President Morsi is overthrown (he offered Syrians refuge) and the new regime is not kind to them. They are attacked, threatened, and abused. Doaa gets engaged and her fiancee and her decide to escape to Europe. The problem is...they have to use smugglers and rickity boats to get them to Italian shores.
After two failed attempts, they finally make it to the boat. But the trip is long and hard, and when they are finally a day away from Italy, a boat purposely rams into their ship full of 500 men, elderly, women, and children and sinks the whole thing into the sea.
Doaa almost drowns (a huge fear for her) but she manages to pull herself up and her fiancee gives her a baby inflatable ring to wear. Days and days pass and Doaa sees everyone around her get sick and die, including Bassem, her beloved fiancee. She is handed two baby girls and she pushes herself to stay awake to try to keep them alive.
Finally...when Doaa is at her last breath, she is rescued and brought to Italy, and after a year and half is finally reunited with her family in Sweden, where she vows to study law.

This story broke my heart.
It really highlights the dire situations of refugees and how they have no other choice but to risk their lives in order to look for a better future. Doaa highlights the epitome of bravery, love, and hope, even amongst a sea of troubles. The book shows how refugees are regular people seeking to live a normal life.

May Allah bring peace and relief to all those struggling!

[Valerie McEnroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adult rating: 5 stars
Kid rating: 3 stars

This is an excellent young readers' edition of a book in the same vein as[ book: I am Malala]. Good choice for women's history month. An easy sell for young adults, because the narration is so good, but not sure if middle grades have the attention or interest to see it through.

Doaa is living in southern Syria in the early 2010's when Al-Assad begins his tyranny against his own people. Once the Arab spring gets underway in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, Syria falls in line too. The people begin demonstrating against an oppressive government. Doaa is one of many daughters in a loving family. As typical with middle Eastern families, they are religious and gather often for family celebrations. Doaa is an independent thinker and participates in the demonstrations. When Assad sends an army to quell the unrest, she is a teenager.

Eventually, the devastation reaches the point where her family must flee Syria. They flee south through Jordan, then over to Egypt. At first Egyptians are accepting of the refugees, but slowly begin to regard them as a problem. Doaa attracts the attention of a suitor, who pursues her and refuses to give up when she rejects him. Finally, she sees him for the rare catch he is and they get engaged. He convinces her that the only hope for a good life is in Europe. Though she is terrified of crossing the Mediterranean Sea she agrees to go. It is the wrong choice to make.

Melissa Fleming captures every minute detail of Doaa's story. It's remarkable. It's nonfiction that reads like fiction. Anyone, including adults, who want a first-hand, detailed account of what that journey across the Mediterranean Sea is like, should read this book. Doaa's will to survive against the odds is both uplifting and sad. Highly recommend.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can I give this book any less than 5 stars? Fleming's research and efforts telling Doaa's story have made such an impact on my life and the lives of many others. I knew nothing about the book or Doaa's story until my daughter was assigned to read the book for a college class. Once I started, I couldn't stop. We have the Young Readers' Edition, which doesn't seem "young" at all and was still very detailed with some difficult descriptions of the events. As a high school teacher, I'd love to compare the regular version to the young readers' version, because I did feel I was reading content more simplified, with less mature language usage. It did sound like teenagers talking, but that would draw in the teenagers I teach.

While I have much to do, I just want to now watch Fleming's TedTalk and learn as much as I can. I appreciated that the book included Doaa's life timeline, a note from Doaa at the end, the author's notes and story, and an interview with Brandon Stanton of Humans of New York. I felt like I was getting the full picture and not just one person's perspective. So much research and travel went into getting the details and facts for the book, and I applaud Fleming, the Japanese ship, the governments of Greece and Sweden, and all the others who helped Doaa and other refugees and who were willing to share the story. May I be changed by reading this book, not just comfortable in my own security but more compassionate every day to help others and to see the world and the city beyond my own.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This true story is so heartbreaking and tragic at the same time. I remember the news story of the Syrian government using nerve gas on its own people. I think I cried through the last half of the book, and I wonder what Doaa Al Zomel's life is like now. I wish that the author could write a follow-up book. The Syrian government has gone through so many changes; I hope that the new government is better than the one that Doaa lived under.

A girl living through the regime change in Syria, when the townspeople hoped for improvement but instead they experienced being terrorized and being starved, no longer being able to go to classes, worrying that her father would be taken away by the government and never be returned. He was taken away and finally came back, but they had to leave Syria; it was impossible to live there anymore.

Finally, after many difficulties, they made it to Egypt and were welcomed, but it was difficult for her family to make a living and support their wife, her many daughters, and their baby brother. Then change came to the Egyptian government, and the welcome turned into scorn, and it was very difficult to have enough to eat and find a place to live. Their situation went from bad to much worse with a few Egyptian friends who helped to much worse.

And her story continues, when you think, it is impossible for it get worse, it does over and over again. I think every American needs to read this important book.

[Histteach24 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I previewed this book for a class library. Definitely worth purchasing for schools. The story is one that needs to be told. It brings light to a still timely situation of the plight of refugees and dispels myths about who they are and why they seek asylum.
It also lends to important conversation about human nature, empathy, and what makes some people respond with kindness versus others who respond which such hate. Throughout history the plight of the refugee has existed-just a different ethnic or religious group and a different landscape. How is it that even after the horrors of WWII we can not seem to get our act together in creating a climate of stability and human decency?
I read the youth version so the writing to me seemed simplistic. I don't know if reading the adult one would have been more sophisticated in writing style or added to the story. I also could not tell if translation led to the very choppy feel of the wording. Long story short, its rudimentary writing led me to be able to skim read quickly through the book. In the beginning, it was difficult to relate to Doaa because of it and I felt like details or information were missing in her early story.

[Anna M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea Young Readers’ Edition by Melissa Fleming, I didn’t have any previous knowledge of the Syrian war. This book opened my eyes to what the war did to ordinary families like Doaa Al Zamel’s and how it forced so many people to leave everything behind in search of safety.

Doaa’s story is heartbreaking and inspiring. From her happy childhood in Syria to the terrifying journey across the Mediterranean, I was completely drawn in. Melissa Fleming tells Doaa’s story with honesty and care, showing both the pain she endured and the incredible strength she found to keep going.

One thing I really liked was how the author helped me understand Doaa’s background. She included Arabic words and phrases throughout the book and added their English meanings right after. It helped me imagine her life more clearly. I felt a deeper understanding of their culture, traditions, and way of life.

Even though this edition is written for readers ages 10 to 16, it’s powerful for adults, too. The writing is clear and emotional, and I found myself crying and cheering for Doaa at the same time.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

Hard to even put into words the trauma that Doaa must endure to escape a war-torn country, led by a tyrant who killed his own people. Doaa is headstrong and determined to get a higher education, to not get married and start having babies at a young age. But the, at the age of 16, the Arab Spring occurs and Doaa must learn to stay alive in the hellscape that Syria has become. Whereas other countries in which the Arab Soring occurs see varying levels of success at overthrowing the government, Syria's Al-Assad cracks down even harder on dissidents. Doaa's family is forced to flee to Egypt, which at first is very welcoming to Syrian refugees, but eventually they find themselves unwanted there as well.

If I still had my grade 8 class, I'd be doing this as a read-aloud. It's unbelievably powerful, and I think it's so important for teens to be exposed to life situations that are completely unlike their own.

Thanks for sharing your story, Doaa. I hope you eventually find the peace you're seeking.

[Paige Stephens · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

I read this for my Human Rights and International Law class, but it was something I could see myself reading even if I didn't have to for a class. I found Doaa's story so gripping and really felt for her and her family. Melissa Fleming does a good job of humanizing refugees and reminding us that they're just people like us caught in an impossible situation. I also found reading about Doaa's love for Syria important because it can be difficult for me to consider having such love for a country that you consider your home despite all the violence and trauma experienced there. My one complaint has nothing to do with the story, and that's just my slight confusion that for a college class we were given the young reader's edition to read because at times I felt the language was overly simple.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

heartbreaking yet uplifting story, so much so that it’s hard to believe it’s nonfiction. in one word: powerful. it was one of those books where you know how it will end but keep reading anyway. there were so many important lessons for all the young (and old) readers out there. my only qualm was that i found fleming’s narration to be a bit telling and redundant at times; however, she’s not an author as a primary profession, and she was sharing doaa’s story, which so desperately needed to be heard.

[Susan Schutte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I teach high school and some of my students have been displaced by hurricanes and other natural disasters, but recently, I learned the story of one of my students that immigrated from Yemen. Like Doaa, he fled his homeland and traveled by boat with livestock in hopes of a better future. This book brought his story into reality for me. Doaa’s harrowing journey was undoubtedly worse, but no child, no person deserves such a fate. This book is an accessible read with important information about the people who suffer in war torn countries.

[Samantha Feryance · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a non-fiction written about a Syrian refugee, Doaa, and her family. When riots and war begin to break out in Syria, Doaa must choose between her desire to fight with the rebels or protect her family. When it comes time to escape Syria, Doaa and her family go to Egypt. They are welcomed for some time until unrest begins there as well. When Doaa meets a young man, she begins to dream of a life away from conflict. The begin to make plans to escape Egypt, but the journey is not easy and will cost Doaa everything.

[Polly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very compelling and hard to put down. I wish everyone would read these accounts and allow more humanity in to what has been watered down to political talking points. This is a heart wrenching story.

[Joan Ling-Zwissler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I purchased this at a discount at a book fair to vet for my middle school students. Although I found the writing to be stylistically a bit rough and not engaging, Doaa's story is compelling and inspiring enough to keep me reading to the end.

[Josh Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

My heart aches for Doaa and her family. The way her story was told, however, left something to be desired. As a story, it’s heartbreaking and wonderful; as a book, it didn’t hold my attention more than a few pages at a time. Kind of a slog.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is a bit basic and rough but the story is unbelievable. Following Doaa’s story gives us just a small glimpse into what many, many refugees go through in search of a better life. Eye opening and thought provoking. This book allowed for a great conversation between my daughter (who read it before me) and I. Rape is mentioned so be prepared for that the conversation.

[Belladonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. It brought light to a lot of serious topics but kept it on the lighter side. It’s way of doing that allows a lot of different ages to read the book. There are sad and happy parts all throughout. I think you should read it if you want a nonfiction or biography book to read.

[Sabrina R · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that this is a true story is devastating. I stopped breathing through so many parts of this book, cried when they were at sea, and took breaks to process after each chapter. It is an important story I think everyone should read.

[Aubrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prose was a bit odd, but okay

Detached writing style made the material less emotionally charged than it truly could be, which is probably okay, particularly for a young reader’s edition

Descriptions were not overly grotesque, especially given the tragic, horrifying events

Not sure how young this book would be appropriate for; high school (who I was reading it for) would be okay, with discussion and support

The romance section felt a bit forced (?), but admittedly these customs are unfamiliar to me

[Susan Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

When we hear of the Syrian crisis, it almost seems unfathomable. Doaa's story makes this very real and yet, still so difficult to believe.

[Cyndy Hagin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye opening.