The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri

A poignant tale of the immigrant's nightmare and the heartbreak of being countryless. Their story is depicted so well and with such raw emotion that you can't help but feel a little bit of their pain. The story begins as Nuri and Afra are forced to leave their home in Syria due to the war. Sadly, just as they leave their young son dies in a bombing and Afra, an artist becomes blind. Nuri is just as traumatized but must find a way to get them to England as Nuri's best friend and fellow beekeeper has done months before. As they move from camp to camp, country to country each more foreign and their situation more desperate they are still gentle with each other and do kindnesses for their fellow travelers. Just as the bees have their colonies destroyed and must now search for a new world to begin again, Afra and Nuri must learn to follow the winds hoping to find a safe place to begin again. The book is heartbreakingly beautiful and a must read to understand what life must be like for those people who did not ask to be cast from their home but now find themselves in a strange new land and uncertain future.