Well written but depressing ( )

Oh wow - this is a book everyone should read. It reminds us of the need to not look away. The optician of Lampedusa, his wife and friends are very special people. I cried with them throughout this story. It's a powerful story, written beautifully, focusing on the small scale to help us understand the epic. ( )

The author is a BBC foreign correspondent, and what ended up as this book started out as a report for the Radio 4 flagship news programme, PM. A boat carrying 500+ African migrants sank just off the little Italian island of Lampedusa, which sits in the Mediterranean off the coast of Tunisia. The optician of the title, along with his wife and 6 of their friends, were spending a day or two on their friend's boat, sailing, when they came across the aftermath of the sinking, and ended up rescuing 47 of the migrants, who by that point had already been in the water a good 4 hours. This book is an extended look at what happened, the lead-up to their sailing break, the rescue, and what happened afterwards. I found it really moving, and it asks really important questions about helping or looking the other way, whilst never being preachy. Highly recommended, although not an easy read. ( )