Butterfly
By Yusra Mardini
From Refugee to Olympian—My Story of Rescue, Hope, and Triumph. Pan MacMillan, 2018
Summary of Butterfly book by Yusra Mardini
The inspirational story of a Syrian young woman’s courage and compassion that led to her true calling to help fellow refugees, even above and beyond her dream to swim in the Olympics.
Chapters in Butterfly book summary
What do you get from this book? A refugee’s journey from survival at sea to swimming in the Olympics
The basics of Yusra’s childhood were eating, sleeping and swimming—not always in that order
Ezzat practiced tough love—high expectations and high standards—no illness nor injury would keep his girls from the pool
As Yusra swam her way to the Syrian National Team, violent uprisings made their way to her homeland
Yusra competed and won medals in Russia, but the fighting escalated in Damascus—would she be able to go home?
The Mardinis upended their lives again with another move—and a planned flee from Syria would further split their family
So many people were fleeing Syria—Yusra and Sara would never be alone
Swimming had made them strong, and the girls fought—for their survival and the lives of their fellow refugees
The worst was over, or so they hoped—there were still many kilometers to go and more borders to cross
Hotel Berlin, in Budapest, would be a comfortable stopover to rest and recuperate—or would it?
It seemed the closer they got to Germany, the longer they had to wait and the more they had to pay
Welcome to Germany, refugees—Yusra and Sara arrived safe and sound and ready to start their new lives!
As Yusra received news about the Olympics, her parents and sister were headed to Berlin
Yusra spread her message: “being a refugee was not a choice, and they, too, could achieve great things,” across the globe
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Butterfly — Book Summary Snapshot
Who should read Butterfly book
- politicians
- global social workers
- biography and autobiography enthusiasts
About the author of Butterfly
Yusra Mardini
Yusra Mardini loved her home of Damascus, Syria but fled to Germany when her country came under attack. She competed as a swimmer for the Refugee Athletes Team in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and became a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Goodwill Ambassador. She is dedicated to fighting for the honorability and better life of refugees who, like her and her family, have been traumatized by war.
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