A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea
- Genre: Nonfiction; biography
- Originally Published: 2017
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1040L; grades 9-12; college/adult
- Structure/Length: 10 chapters plus epilogue; approx. 288 pages; approx. 7 hours, 50 minutes on audio
- Central Concern: Doaa Al Zamel is just a teenager when she and her family flee as refugees from civil war in her country of Syria; later she must survive a tragic accident when she and her fiancé attempt to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Violence; civil war; death, including that of young children; drowning; xenophobia
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:
- The Interconnected World
- The Power of Humanity
- Finding a Sense of Purpose
STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:
- Develop an understanding of the geographical and historical contexts regarding Syrian immigration that incite Doaa’s conflict.
- Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Interconnected World, The Power of Humanity, and Finding a Sense of Purpose.