Father-Daughter Conversations inspire new children’s book

On Monday, Sept. 8, at 10 a.m., the Swarthmore Public Library will host a reading of Swarthmore resident Samuel Sidiqi’s draft of his new children’s book, My Daddy is Climbing Denali, inspired by the difficult conversations he had with then 5-year-old daughter, Jasmine, about his experience climbing Denali and addressing worries like: “My friend’s dad told him you might not come back.”

“These hard conversations led me to frame the story around safety and pushing against the tendency of climbers to have summit fever,” Sidiqi said.

Parents also participate in the dangers of life, and discussing the risks involved with mountaineering is no easy task. “So how do you talk with kids about that?” Sidiqi poses. My Daddy is Climbing Denali is one way to begin that conversation. Although Sidiqi was first inspired by his daughter, his own experience depicts the reality of how susceptible climbers are to summit fever.

“I remember when I was on Denali, stuck at 11,000 feet, and we were snowed in for a number of days,” Sidiqi said. “There were a bunch of different teams and my team was listening to our guide, however there was a mutiny of climbers who did not listen to their guide and went on to climb in the storm.”

Although the theme of summit fever is not directly explored in the book, Sidiqi hopes the story will provide parents with opportunities to have discussions with their children about expectations and safe decisions.

“My thought is that if you are reading this book to your kids, and there is this expectation that you will summit the mountain, then that’s a lot of pressure to put on the parents, so the book sets the expectation that the parent will make the smart decision to come down be

cause they love their children and are making the safest decision,” Sidiqi said. “This sets the expectation for the parents and their children.”

All proceeds from future book sales will go to the nonprofit Afghan Peaks which supports youth in Bamyan by hosting an annual ski race, hiring local carpenters to make equipment, and distributing food. However, before the book is published, Sidiqi is working towards providing a fair compensation for the illustrator Forest Miller through a kickstarter fundraiser. Donations of $50 or more will receive a first printing of My Daddy Is Climbing Denali signed by the author. According to the kickstarter, Miller “agreed to start work on the 28 oil paintings to support the non-profit with a modest down payment.”

The goal is to raise $3,500, and half of the fund is dedicated to Miller’s commission. To support the illustrator and publishing process of My Daddy is Climbing Denali, please visit: http://bit.ly/4p0HAix.

At the community reading, Sidiqi will be available to answer any questions about the book or his climbing adventures. His next trip will be to Aconcagua in Argentina in February, where he plans to further his goal of climbing the Seven Summits.