# Alpha: Abidjan to Paris - Hardcover

by **Bessora** (Author), **Barroux** (Illustrator), **Sarah Ardizzone** (Translator)

**Doctors Without Borders Prize  
PEN Promotes Award  
GLLI (Global Literature in Libraries Initiative) Translated YA Book Prize Shortlist  
CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal Longlist  
_Library Journal_ "Best Book of the Year" selection  
_School Library Journal_ "Best Adult Book 4 Teens" selection  
_Comics Journal_ "Best Comic of the Year" selection**

"Barroux's raw illustrations and Bessora's matter-of-fact text express the inhumanity at the heart of the refugee crisis." --**_School Library Journal_ "Best Adult Book 4 Teens" citation**

Alpha's wife and son left C te d'Ivoire months ago to join his sister-in-law in Paris, but Alpha has heard nothing from them since. With a visa, Alpha's journey to reunite with his family would take a matter of hours. Without one, he is adrift for over a year, encountering human traffickers in the desert, refugee camps in northern Africa, overcrowded boats carrying migrants between the Canary Islands and Europe's southern coast, and an unforgettable cast of fellow travelers lost and found along the way. Throughout, Alpha stays the course, carrying his loved ones' photograph close to his heart as he makes his perilous trek across continents.

Featuring emotive, full-color artwork created in felt-tip pen and wash, _Alpha_ is an international award-winning graphic novel supported by Amnesty International that received the PEN Promotes Award and Doctors Without Borders Prize, and was longlisted for the CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal. The U.S. edition is sponsored by Le Korsa, a nonprofit organization devoted to improving human lives in Senegal.

**Bessora** is an award-winning writer of Swiss, German, French, Polish, and Gabonese heritage whose work has been anthologized in _Best European Fiction_.

**Barroux** is a French graphic artist who spent much of his childhood in North Africa and whose illustrations have appeared in the _New York Times_, _Washington Post_, and _Forbes_.

### Author Biography

**Bessora** is an award-winning author of Swiss, German, French, Polish, and Gabonese heritage whose work has been anthologized in _Best European Fiction_ and has received the Fénéon Prize and Grand Prix Littéraire d'Afrique Noire. Raised in Europe, America, and Africa, she has traveled extensively and her fiction is underpinned by extensive research and her training as an anthropologist. _Alpha_, forthcoming from Bellevue Literary Press, is her first graphic novel. She lives in Paris.

**Barroux** was born in Paris and spent much of his childhood in North Africa. After studying photography, art, sculpture, and architecture, he worked as an art director in Paris and Montreal before beginning his career as an illustrator. His work includes the children's book _Where's the Elephant?_, longlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal, the graphic novel _Line of Fire_, based on the diary of an unknown soldier from the First World War, and the graphic novel _Alpha_, forthcoming from Bellevue Literary Press. His illustrations have also appeared in the _New York Times, Washington Post_, and _Forbes_. He lives in Paris.

**Sarah Ardizzone** is an award-winning translator from the French. She is the translator of the graphic novel _Alpha_, forthcoming from Bellevue Literary Press, and over forty other titles including _The Little Prince Graphic Novel_, a _New York Times_ Notable Book. Ardizzone has twice won the Marsh Award for Children's Literature in Translation. She also curates educational programs, including Translation Nation, Translators in Schools, and the Spectacular Translation Machine. She lives in London.

**Number of Pages:** 128

**Dimensions:** 0.6 x 10.3 x 7.7 IN

**Illustrated:** Yes

**Publication Date:** May 01, 2018

## Details

- **Price:** 24.99 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 24.99 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Alpha: Abidjan to Paris - Hardcover

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