Crossing the Sea

Acclaimed journalist Wolfgang Bauer and photographer Stanislav Krupar are the first to accompany Syrian refugees attempting to find a way from Egypt to Europe. They went undercover, took on new identities as English teachers from a Caucasian republic, to experience with the refugees the brutal smuggler gangs in Egypt; prison; the rickety boats on the Mediterranean and then furtive travel on Europe's roads. This book takes readers there - beyond the headlines we see the real people involved in this murky and yet life-saving exodus from Syria. Each refugee has a different story and character. We also see fishermen appalled at what they are asked to do, but then corrupted by the big money offered for their people trafficking. Bauer goes beyond the abstract numbers to portray the dramatic circumstances of this Syrian exodus. An authentic document and also a passionate appeal for a more humanitarian refugee policy.