Author Chi Thai was 3 years old when she and her family escaped Vietnam in a dilapidated boat. Forced to flee political oppression and to face a perilous future, they put their wellbeing into the hands of strangers who demanded payment but offered no guarantee of safe arrival.
The Endless Sea is a fictionalized account of Thai’s story from the perspective of a young girl.
In the boat’s hold, darkness and deprivation characterize the journey of a mother, father, and two sisters: “On the first day, we ate rice cakes. On the second day, they were all gone. On the third day, the water ran out. On the fourth day, we reached the sea. … On the fifth day, heavy rains fell and the boat’s pump gave out. We began to sink.”
As the passengers begin to panic, the girls and their parents see a ship on the horizon. It seems to take forever to come to their aid. The young girl imagines “sinking with the boat and disappearing into the sea. It would be as if we were never here, or never even existed.”
When the family is finally safe on the deck of the rescue ship, the girl relates, “The storm I had been holding inside came raging out. A storm of relief and joy and guilt. My tears poured and poured. My mother scooped me up and held me close. Then, for the first time in days, she smiled—and with her smile, my storm lifted.”
The family stays in a refugee camp, and they eventually make their way to their new country. People call them the lucky ones because they survived their voyage. Though she is happy to be safe at last, the girl is haunted by dreams of those who lost their lives. But, being young and resilient and surrounded by the people she loves most, she finds joy in her new life.
Illustrator Linh Dao’s fluctuating light, then dark, then light artwork portrays the contrasting experiences of being rooted at home with family in one’s native land, uprooted into the precarious and dangerous sea, and miraculously becoming rooted once again in another home.
In an author note, Chi Thai writes, “When I made that journey, there were over 6 million refugees around the world. Today, there are more than 110 million people forcibly displaced, with over 36 million refugees. Now, more than ever, it’s vital to understand the profound challenges faced by those forced to flee. The need for our compassion is urgent.”
By sharing this book with their children, Christian parents have an age-appropriate way to talk about why people become refugees, to highlight God’s love for refugees, and to focus on God’s command to welcome strangers and foreigners.
(Candlewick)