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Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'
Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian - My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph by Yusra Mardini
1 review
theaceofpages's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
2.75
Refugee stories are definitely important. Don't get me wrong. A lot of people have misconceptions about what leads people to flee their countries nd about how dangerous it can be. But I can't say I loved this book, unfortunately. There were parts that hit hard (hence why I'm giving it an average rating), but overall? It was a bit repetitive at times and could have used an extra edit. Her actual journey was interesting, but I found myself less and less invested as the story went on. I think the audiobook probably conveyed a stronger message than the print book because it could ad more to the writing - the narrator as great. It starts off with tense struggles and just kind f becomes less as the book continues. Maybe she has less to say about what happens after she managed to settle in Germany, but it was disappointing. Like when it came to her actually competing in the Olympics it's pretty much just "I swam". It doesn't even tell you how she placed or anything (Wikipedia says 41st out of 45 contestants). The whole book was building up to her Olympics journey and it just kind of fizzles.
Another minor annoyance is that Yusra occasionally briefly criticises how there were other people in her journey and yet the media focuses solely on her. And yet the book does a lot of the same. I get that it is her story but let's look at the first line f the blurb? "Butterfly is an inspiring audiobook about how one woman saved fellow refugees from drowning". Her sister was the first one in the water and those on the boat took turns to keep the boat on course. I don't mean to take away from what was surely a a terrifying experiences., but it was not just her. An this is even talked about in the book, making the whole marketing around her book even more frustrating Sure, maybe she and her sister spent more time in the water than most, but she did not single handedly save a boat of refugees. I am honestly more interested in Sara's story than Yusra's from the little snippets we have been provided. I'd love to hear about her own experiences being second to her sister because of injuries, what was probably a more stressful journey for her (she was in charge because she was older) and her experiences with helping other refugees after her own successful journey. I imagine she must have helped so many people.
I mentioned at the start we need more refugee stories. This story is about a privileged person fleeing their country. Yusra and her sister constantly passed thousands of euros to various people to facilitate their journey and still have money for the occasional hotel room because they don't want to stay in camps or stations. Most people aren't this lucky. Yes, her group had horrible experiences along the way, but these aren't unusual. We are just hearing about them because she somehow gained fame along the way. You see how people get stuck along the way. She does acknowledge this and that other people have different experiences, but these stories need their own voices too - about those who just don't have the money to get where they want to be. About those who get tapped by those ho want to hurt them but get away. Sure, maybe this story that gained public popularity is important, but these their stories, arguably of more typical experiences, are even more so. Those who are trying to help refugees need to capitalise off the successful stories like this to highlight more typical experiences. Obviously too many become a bad thing (people become desensitised) but I would love to see more visibility brought to everyday people trying to find safety. They need to see the light too.
Another minor annoyance is that Yusra occasionally briefly criticises how there were other people in her journey and yet the media focuses solely on her. And yet the book does a lot of the same. I get that it is her story but let's look at the first line f the blurb? "Butterfly is an inspiring audiobook about how one woman saved fellow refugees from drowning". Her sister was the first one in the water and those on the boat took turns to keep the boat on course. I don't mean to take away from what was surely a a terrifying experiences., but it was not just her. An this is even talked about in the book, making the whole marketing around her book even more frustrating Sure, maybe she and her sister spent more time in the water than most, but she did not single handedly save a boat of refugees. I am honestly more interested in Sara's story than Yusra's from the little snippets we have been provided. I'd love to hear about her own experiences being second to her sister because of injuries, what was probably a more stressful journey for her (she was in charge because she was older) and her experiences with helping other refugees after her own successful journey. I imagine she must have helped so many people.
I mentioned at the start we need more refugee stories. This story is about a privileged person fleeing their country. Yusra and her sister constantly passed thousands of euros to various people to facilitate their journey and still have money for the occasional hotel room because they don't want to stay in camps or stations. Most people aren't this lucky. Yes, her group had horrible experiences along the way, but these aren't unusual. We are just hearing about them because she somehow gained fame along the way. You see how people get stuck along the way. She does acknowledge this and that other people have different experiences, but these stories need their own voices too - about those who just don't have the money to get where they want to be. About those who get tapped by those ho want to hurt them but get away. Sure, maybe this story that gained public popularity is important, but these their stories, arguably of more typical experiences, are even more so. Those who are trying to help refugees need to capitalise off the successful stories like this to highlight more typical experiences. Obviously too many become a bad thing (people become desensitised) but I would love to see more visibility brought to everyday people trying to find safety. They need to see the light too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War
Moderate: Xenophobia, Mental illness, Death, and Confinement
Minor: Islamophobia, Deportation, Child abuse, and Kidnapping
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