Tima Kurdi
Tima Kurdi's book The Boy on the Beach is on the Canada Reads 2019 longlist. The final five books and the panellists defending them will be revealed on Jan. 31, 2019.
The 2019 debates are happening March 25-28, 2019 and will be hosted by Ali Hassan.
About Tima Kurdi
Tima Kurdi is a Syrian-Canadian human rights activist, public speaker and author based in Coquitlam, B.C. Kurdi has spoken around the world about the plight of refugees and the lack of long term solutions to the conditions they face.
Her book The Boy on the Beachis a call-to-action for the international community inspired by her family's struggle to escape the war in Syria. The book recounts her repeated efforts to sponsor her brother and his family and bring them to safety in Canada as refugees. Unfortunately, her brother's wife Rehanna and their two sons Galeb and Alan drowned attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea to safety in Greece. The tragic image of her nephew Alan Kurdi's lifeless body laying face down on the beach sent shockwaves throughout the world and became illustrative of the actual human cost of the war.
- 7 Canadian books to read on World Refugee Day
- How Tima Kurdi is honouring the memory of her nephew with her book, The Boy on the Beach
- Tima Kurdi pleads for help for refugees
Why Tima Kurdi wrote The Boy on the Beach
"The photo of my nephew Alan Kurdi — the boy on the beach — touched millions of people around the world. I wrote this book because I wanted people to know who my nephew really was — what his name was, and how old he was at the time of his passing. I wanted to show people, especially in the Western world, what my country is actually like — and that we are people, just like everybody else. We have families, just like everyone else, and my people have been forced to leave their home because of war and not by choice. I want the world to constantly be reminded, in their hearts, of that image to inspire them and work to help others.
I want the world to constantly be reminded, in their hearts, of that image to inspire them and work to help others.- Tima Kurdi
"Writing this book was a long process and a struggle to complete. But I wrote it from my heart — it was an opportunity to reflect back on the happy times in our lives, as a people and as a country. Writing things down gave me much hope and helped with the healing process. It helped me cope."
Books by Tima Kurdi
Interviews with Tima Kurdi
More about the Kurdi family
