An intimate and poignant memoir about the family of Alan Kurdi—the young Syrian boy who became the global emblem for the desperate plight of millions of Syrian refugees—and of the many extraordinary journeys the Kurdis have taken, spanning countries and continents.

 On September 2, 2015, a photograph of Alan Kurdi went viral around the world—a two-year-old Syrian refugee who had washed up dead on a Turkish beach. For Syrian Canadian Tima Kurdi, that photo was personal. Alan was her nephew. Alan’s mother, Rehanna, and his older brother, Ghalib, perished alongside him as they all attempted to reach safe shores. Only Alan’s father, Abdullah, escaped with his life.

How could this happen? It’s a question many people have asked. To answer it, Tima Kurdi goes back to Syria before the war, to her idyllic childhood growing up in a tight-knit family that loved Friday-night dance parties, holiday meals, and fun summer vacations. Tima had dreams of seeing the world, and at twenty-two, emigrated to Canada to start a new life.

Meanwhile, civil war overtook her homeland and her entire family was forced to flee. A world away, Tima asked herself, “How do I help? How can bring my family to safety?” She sent money. She stayed in constant touch by phone. She investigated immigration possibilities to Canada. She even visited Abdullah and her beloved nephews in Turkey to witness for herself the eye-opening conditions of life as refugee. Like so many, Abdullah’s family was caught between a home too dangerous to return to and safe countries refusing them. They were forced to make an impossible choice.

We all know what happened after that. Alan Kurdi’s photo became a wake-up call the world, and Tima Kurdi became a spokesperson for refugees who could not speak for themselves.

This is the story of the Kurdi family—before the war and after. Above all, it is a tribute to  love, loss, and hope for a better world.