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A review by books_baking_brews
Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian - My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph by Yusra Mardini
5.0
Another great look into the Syrian refugee crisis this time told from the perspective of teenager Yusra Mardina who goes from a little girl dreaming of representing Syria in the Olympics to being forced to flee the only home she knows. What's clear from this book is that she loves Syria and that no one chooses to be a refugee, they are forced to flee or face an uncertain future or death.
Something that really stuck with me while reading this is that Yusra acknowledges her privilege. She and her family were fortunate enough to have the means and luck to get out of Syria and into Germany. It can cost thousands of dollars, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars to make the crossing: to pay smugglers/coyotes, to pay for train tickets, food, lodging, etc and they were able to do it and she points this out. That by no means lessens the harrowing tale of her journey. She and her sister Sarah spent hours in the water swimming so that their whole boat could survive. They are heroes. But her journey doesn't end when they get to Germany, Yusra goes on to find her swimming coach, Sven, and through hard work and sheer perseverance she made it to the Olympic refugee team and has used her platform to help spread her message becoming a UN Goodwill Ambassador. This memoir is timely and would be great for teenagers to adults, and I would recommend. This book was one of the @oursharedshelf July/August picks (review to come on the other selection Solito/Solita)!
Something that really stuck with me while reading this is that Yusra acknowledges her privilege. She and her family were fortunate enough to have the means and luck to get out of Syria and into Germany. It can cost thousands of dollars, sometimes tens of thousands of dollars to make the crossing: to pay smugglers/coyotes, to pay for train tickets, food, lodging, etc and they were able to do it and she points this out. That by no means lessens the harrowing tale of her journey. She and her sister Sarah spent hours in the water swimming so that their whole boat could survive. They are heroes. But her journey doesn't end when they get to Germany, Yusra goes on to find her swimming coach, Sven, and through hard work and sheer perseverance she made it to the Olympic refugee team and has used her platform to help spread her message becoming a UN Goodwill Ambassador. This memoir is timely and would be great for teenagers to adults, and I would recommend. This book was one of the @oursharedshelf July/August picks (review to come on the other selection Solito/Solita)!