Algoma University will welcome author Omar El Akkad Nov. 29 to virtually discuss his Giller Prize winning novel What Strange Paradise.
The story opens with the haunting image of a child lying shipwrecked on the shore. Inspired by Akkad's journalism covering the Syrian refugee crisis, the novel explores the dreams for a safer future that lead a group of refugees to board an unsafe vessel and head for an America they never reach.
El Akkad gained fame as a fiction writer in 2017 with American War. His debut novel followed a career as a staff reporter for The Globe and Mail. It became an international bestseller. His second novel, What Strange Paradise (2021), was equally successful, winning the Giller and making the CBC Canada Reads shortlist this year.
The event is hosted by Algoma University students and is open and free for the public. The evening includes readings and CBC-style one-minute defences of What Strange Paradise by Algoma students. These provide information and context to enable visitors to enjoy this evening even if they have not yet read this novel.
VIRTUAL EVENT: Join at 5 p.m. on Nov. 29, 2022, virtually via Google Meet.
For the access link, email Algoma.Reads@algomau.ca