Alpha’s wife and son left Côte 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 and Le Korsa, a nonprofit organization devoted to improving human lives in Senegal.

Bessora and Barroux’s graphic novel Alpha is translated from the French by Sarah Ardizzone, an award-winning translator of over forty 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.

PEN Promotes Award

Doctors Without Borders Prize

GLLI (Global Literature in Libraries Initiative) Translated YA Book Prize Shortlist

CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal Longlist

Library Journal “Best Book of the Year” & “Must-Have Graphic Novel for Black History Month and Beyond” selection

School Library Journal “Best Adult Book 4 Teens” selection

Comics Journal “Best Comic of the Year” selection

Publishers Weekly “Hot Topic” selection

Book Riot “Must-Read Comics about Brave People Who Aren’t Superheroes” selection

Big Other “Most Anticipated Small Press Book” selection

Alpha
Bessora & Barroux
Translated from the French by Sarah Ardizzone
2018, Bellevue Literary Press
ISBN: 9781942658405