From Crossing the Sea, by Wolfgang Bauer. In 2014, Bauer, a German journalist for Die Zeit, traveled undercover with Syrian refugees on a boat headed from Egypt to Greece. His account of the journey was published last month by And Other Stories. Translated from the German by Sarah Pybus.

When you’re a refugee, the rhythms of life change. Day acts as night, and night day. Amar gets up and goes out to buy falafel for himself and the others. He has quickly proved to be the one to take matters in hand, speaking and negotiating for the group. There…