It is difficult to find the right words when you want to recommend a book that made you feel sick with rage. So I will start by telling you how important it is that this book exists,in spite of all the odds stacked against it, and against the people whose lives it describes. I want you to know how profound an experience this graphic novel offers its readers.

Safdar Ahmed is a Sydney-based artist and Walkley Award winner who works with Villawood detainees as part of the Refugee Art Project. In Still Alive he writes about the strength of art in addressing trauma and he collaborates with refugees to tell their stories. Much of the imagery used throughout the book is drawn by the refugees themselves, resulting in a powerful collaboration between artists.

Part of what this graphic novel restores is the humanity and agency of its storytellers. Even in the midst of a harrowing boat journey, Hadi recalls his joy at seeing real dolphins. Amir recounts the terror and danger of detention on Manus Island, before explaining how he and other detainees clubbed together to donate medical equipment to Lorengau hospital after their release. Despite the trauma these refugees have experienced, Still Alive refuses to let its subjects be reduced to pure victimhood. As Ahmed points out: ‘There are no “good” or “bad” refugees – only people who deserve basic rights.’

Alongside these personal testimonies, Still Alive also covers the decades-long history of Australian immigration policy clearly and concisely, explaining how we arrived at a system of indefinite and offshore detention, and why Australia’s actions constitute an abuse of human rights. Read it, feel it as deeply as the content demands – and then share it with anyone who still needs convincing that immigration detention must end.

Ele Jenkins is a bookseller at Readings Carlton.