graphic nonfiction (pt 2 of 3). Vol 1 followed Hakim from Damascus, Syria to Beirut, Lebanon to Amman, Jordan and Antalya, Turkey (moving from place to place trying to find work). He met and married Najmeh (also a refugee from Syria) and together they moved to Istanbul, Turkey.

Vol. 2 begins in Istanbul (July 2013), his wife and her family's immigration to France, and his eventual crossing the sea at Izmir (with his infant son) into Greece (Sept 2015) while waiting for his immigration papers to be accepted by French officials.

Very well done series, covering just one refugee's (complicated, and heartbreaking) story. ( )

The story of Syrian refugee Hakim Kabdi is even more compelling in this middle volume of the trilogy. It helps that the author pulls back on his intrusions into Hakim Kabdi's narrative and keeps us mostly in the past as the drama amps up again. When an opportunity for a shortcut to France appears for his wife's family, Hakim finds himself stranded alone in Turkey caring for his infant son. As his prospects dim, a risky sea crossing starts to seem less dangerous than sinking deeper into the despair that's pulling him down.

It's hard watching Hakim struggle with fatherhood, a family tragedy, and dwindling resources, but it is heartening that even at his lowest there are people who reach out to help and comfort. As his world shrinks and drifts before his eyes, he is able to find community. ( )