Book promotion will raise money for Oxfam - while raising awareness of the plight of refugees
The UK’s biggest bookseller has pledged to donate £5 of every copy of its book of the month to Oxfam’s work with refugees.
Waterstones has selected The Optician of Lampedusa by Emma Jane Kirby as its non-fiction book for November.
In it, the BBC journalist tells the story of the rescue of migrants from the shipwreck of their boat in the Mediterranean.
Reviews describe it as “ambitious and important”, “a moving and unusual achievement” and as a book that “challenges us to do more than cry”.
Three years on from the terrible events recounted in The Optician of Lampedusa, the refugee crisis is ongoing
A hardback, it is priced at £9.99, of which Waterstones will donate £5 to Oxfam for every copy sold.
In 2015, the bookseller raised £1million for Oxfam's Syria Crisis Appeal, through its Buy Books for Syria campaign.
One year on, and with only an escalation of the crisis, Waterstones said it hopes to make another significant donation from the sales of The Optician of Lampedusa, as its books of the month typically shift 20,000 to 30,000 copies.
Mark Goldring, chief executive of Oxfam GB, said: "Three years on from the terrible events recounted in The Optician of Lampedusa, the refugee crisis is ongoing as millions are forced to flee conflict, disaster and extreme poverty.
“In Italy, Oxfam is providing people with accommodation and essentials like clothes and food – as well as health and legal support. The money generously donated by Waterstones to Oxfam from sales of this book will enable us to help many more refugees."
Emma Jane Kirby, said: “When the Optician of Lampedusa first told me his story, I was haunted by it and for several nights afterwards I dreamt that it was me in his boat, scrabbling and snatching at the dark and oily shadows, slipping on the wheel house roof as I scoured the waves.
“I hope readers will enjoy casting off with this ordinary man as he sets out to sea with friends on a glorious late summer cruise, but when the seagulls start mewling, I hope readers will choose to stay on board with the optician and will help him steer his boat towards a brutal reality that none of us want to see.”
