True story of a Syrian refugee and her escape. I love a true story and this did not disappoint. Very informative about the plight of people so desperate to flee their country

A fab read about one woman’s determination for survival and an insight to the challenges faced by many refugees. Very easy to read yet so hard to put down

The memoir of an incredibly strong young woman who swam herself to freedom and a new life. This book takes us through her story and I think it could really help some to understand more about refugees rather than initially judging them.

Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini, was fleeing from Syria to Greece when their boat stopped working. With people panicking and with the threat of the boat capsizing, Yusra dove overboard and started to swim pulling the boat behind her to the shore. This act o bravery saved a boatload of refugees. Once in Greece Yusra decided to follow her dreams of competing in the Olympic Games in Swimming, she accomplished this dream in 2016 on the Refugee Olympic Team in Rio.
This is a wonderful story of bravery and achievements. It shows you that you can do anything you put your mind to.

A truly powerful memoir. A brave and inspiring young woman giving onsite into what it is like to be a Syrian refugee. It certainly encourages more compassion and understanding for those people fleeing the ravages of war to get to safety. To still have the strength of character to try and fulfil an ambition to be in the Olympics we’ll that makes this an even greater story

2.5 stars

Butterfly tells the true story of Yusra Mardini and her journey from war-torn Syria to Germany.
A swimmer, Yusra dreamed of going to the Olympics. Her dream came true, but she endured a lot to get there.

I feel bad for not giving this a higher rating but I really struggled with the writing style.
As this is a biography, I didn't expect it to be told in first person, which made it feel as if I was beside Yusra on her journey (which was not necessarily a bad thing). I had gone into Butterfly thinking that it would be Yusra recounting her story.
There were a several words that were repeated numerous times. The word 'grin' in particular. However, given that English isn't the author's native language, it's understandable that words might be repeated.
There were a few occasions where I found myself losing interest because I couldn't get into the writing style. It was a bit like a list of actions at times.
Yusra's story is an inspiring and amazing one. She was very lucky in many respects but she's also been through a lot for someone so young.
I felt sorry for Sara who was overshadowed by Yusra, her younger sister.
Now that I know Yusra's story I will definitely keep an eye out for her at the next Olympics.

Overall this was an inspiring read but unfortunately I struggled with the writing.

This is an inspirational story. I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style but her story is well worth a read. I think it is so important to be aware of what is going on throughout the world and this gives good insight into the plight of a Syrian refugee.

Thank you to Yusra Mardini and netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion. This was a truly beautiful read, this really came from the heart

One of the most powerful memoirs I’ve ever read.

“I dive into the glinting water. ‘Yusra! What the hell are you doing?’ I ignore my sister and duck under the waves……………… I grab the rope and glimpse the shore. Europe is in sight.”

Yusra has one ambition, to swim in the Olympics. Unfortunately, the war in Syria means that the security she has grown up with is destroyed when the area where she lives with her parents turns into a war zone. Even the pool where she has trained since young is targeted and bombed.

As far as she is concerned, there is only one solution, she needs to leave Syria and move to Germany to continue her training. Unfortunately, the only way to reach Europe is as a refugee. She and her sister Sara (also a swimmer) leave from Turkey in an inflatable boat. The boat is packed with fellow refugees and they soon find themselves with a broken engine in very stormy conditions. Yusra and Sara are the first to jump into the water and, grabbing hold of the rope on the side of the boat, start swimming towards the island of Lesbos. Others soon follow into the water and help the boat through the mountainous waves they face. Two miracles help them, their efforts to keep the boat moving towards the island pays off and then just as they feel they cannot swim or hold onto the boat another minute, they manage to get the engine working again and therefore reach dry land.

There is so much I learnt from this book. People become refugees for lots of reasons. In this instance, the Mardini family lived a very happy and secure life in Syria. They had a beautiful home. The girls attended a great school. Their swimming meant they got to take part in international competitions and Yusra even got to meet President Assad when she and her fellow swimmers returned after a competition where they had done exceptionally well.

This family wanted to carry on living in Syria, but the indiscriminate bombing, the arrival of Isil and the loss of life became too much and the only answer many people could find to the ever-increasing daily dangers they faced, was to flee the country.

This book has made me ask myself whether I would have had the same courage and determination to survive, because it’s very clear from reading Yusra’s account just how difficult each refugee has found surviving once they’ve fled the war and become part of a new country, where a whole new culture and language must be learnt.

I suppose Yusra was lucky. Her talent as a swimmer was quickly realised and the Olympic Committee took the enormous step of recognising that there were other athletes among the refugees and, like Yusra, athletes with huge ambitions to continue to compete in their chosen sports. The Olympic Committee made sure that these athletes could take part in the 2016 Olympics under their own flag as members of The Refugee Olympic Athletes Team.

I googled Yusra and want to add what’s been written about her with the following quotes “Yusra Mardini is now actively reclaiming the label as the youngest ever goodwill ambassador for UNHCR - The Refugee Agency, using her platform to address everyone from Barack Obama to the Pope. Tokyo 2020 is on the horizon, but the unwitting star of the Refugee Olympic Team knows now that her greatest battle could well lie outside of the pool.

"Last Olympics, I represented more than Syria," the 20-year-old Mardini tells CNN Sport. "I represented millions around the world. And I really love this idea. If I'm going to compete under the German flag, or the Syrian flag or the Olympic Flag, I'll be representing all of them.

"Sport actually gave me this really strong voice. I am using it to help refugees to get them to better places; to get them shelter, and to just let the people understand that they should open borders for them."

Imbali

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Butterfly is both inspiring and humbling. Yusra's bravery, determination and strength (physical, mental, emotional) are impressive. The hardships she overcame and the sacrifices she made to attain her dream are beyond my imagination. I loved the moments of hope and humanity and despaired at the cruelty, injustice and indifference encountered by the refugees.
The writing, for me, is at odds with the amazing story it tells - I found it a little uninspiring and basic. I also had mixed feelings about Yusra's message. I don't feel it matters what refugees can or can't achieve - they deserve fair and decent treatment merely on the basis that they are human beings.
But her voice is important and it's refreshing to see refugees represented in such a positive way.

I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, but the story itself was a compelling read - it's good to put a human face on the refugee story, and inspirational how she's overcome this to reach the Olympics

A powerful and moving true story. I enjoyed reading Butterfly. Yusras story is one that shows dreams can become reality.

Non-fiction harrowing tale of escape from war-torn Syria

This book tells the true-life story of Yusra, a Syrian girl, living through the civil war, escaping to Europe on a harrowing journey while nursing ambitions to swim in the Olympics. The story is dramatic, first-person narrated, all in the present tense, emotional and traumatic. The people she meets and travels with are well-defined and interesting. The story that she tells is important and, for some, will hopefully be life-changing or, at least attitude-changing.

I don’t usually read non-fiction but this book has been inspiring and I recommend it to all enthusiastic readers. I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I fully enjoyed this story..
It was very powerful and got me right in the feels, I can't believe how much I enjoyed it especially since I'm not one for such ideas but I loved it.

This is a beautifully written memoir. What Yusra experienced was dreadful, but how she overcame it and achieved what she did was incredible. I was offered an advance copy of this book by the publisher and I’m so glad I chose to accept. I don’t follow sports in general and had never heard of Yusra, but her story is one I’m glad I read. It’s interesting and important. This is a book that needs to be read by all.

We begin the story with Yusra telling the reader about her life in Syria where she swam every day. At six years of age, she set her sights on the Olympics. She was a happy child and this part of the story anchors the reader and really brings to light the deep emotions that were felt when she knew she’d have to leave.

As the troubles being and bombs are being dropped, Yusra continues trying to live life as normal. But when they have to leave a dangerous journey begins. This part of the book was very emotional and quite difficult to read at times. It makes you realise that this happens, and what your reading is real and not fiction.

The book was well written, easy to follow, and tells Yusra’s story. A refugee escaping war-torn Syria who saved others and went on to achieve her dream of taking part in the Olympics.

I think this is a book that will stay with me for quite some time and one I would encourage others to read too.

This is one of the few autobiographies I’ve ever read; I’m very picky about them and don’t care much for reading about just anyone’s lives, but it was clear that Yusra is an inspiration and her story is very much one worth reading. Having read this book, I have not only gained unquantifiable amounts of respect for her, and her family, but I’ve also learned so much about Syria. It’s a country I didn’t know much about before the conflict started there; and naturally the news fed through from there wasn’t very often positive.
Yusra’s story starts off with her swimming journey back in Syria, from those first moments her father threw her into the pool, to growing up, swimming for Syria, and developing huge ambitions. Ambitions that she eventually was able to partially accomplish. She tells of life in Syria before the conflict, her friends, family, neighbours, swim training peers and it’s so… normal. It’s a stark contrast to the conflict which drove them from their home. What’s both scary and bewildering to read is just how fast things changed; from the news of conflicts in nearby countries and the promise that safe and stable Syria would not fall to such rebellion, to the eventual turmoil that has displaced millions.
Her journey to safety was far from easy, and her story just shocks me; for someone so young to go through that, to be so far from her family and to stay strong throughout it all and then still be able to laugh and smile at the end is just extraordinary. The fact she now sees the Olympics not only as her swim-career dream, but also as a platform to raise awareness to Syria and the terrible conditions refugee suffer to try to get to safety is fantastic.
I’d recommend this book to anyone – hence the 5* rating. Particularly those who enjoy an inspiring story of a young sportswoman who has overcome so many obstacles to get where she is; and persevere throughout everything. If you enjoy sports biographies and autobiographies I have no doubts you’ll enjoy this. This book is seriously extraordinary and just a fantastic example of what you can achieve if you are determined, and dedicated to your dream.

A wonderful and moving book which, importantly, while getting across the horror of war and bombings, doesn't recount them in graphic detail, meaning this is a book anyone can feel happy to read.

A long review on my blog, see link below.

Butterfly: from refugee to Olympian, My Story of Rescue, Hope and Triumph is the incredibly powerful memoir of young Syrian refugee Yusra Mardini.

Yusra has always dreamed of being an Olympic champion swimmer and trains hard trying to make that dream come true but when war came to Syria she had to push that dream to one side.

Together with her sister she fled to Germany on a perilous journey in search of a life where bombs and the death of friends are not the norm. Along the way she and her sister became heroes and met some of the worse and best of humankind.

This amazing book reminds us that nobody chooses to be a refugee and that refugees are human too.

“My message has been the same throughout: a refugee is a human like any other.”

Butterfly is hands down the best book I have read so far this year. I don’t tend to read memoirs very often but if this any indication of what I have been missing out on then I will be reading a lot more. Yusra provides a human aspect to the things we can become complacent about seeing on the news.

Butterfly was a fantastic read but also a difficult one. A lot of the things Yusra and the others encountered on her journey made me feel disgusted that so-called civilized European citizens could treat other people like that.

Butterfly begins with Yusra at the most hazardous part of the journey from Syria to Europe and the part of the journey she and her sister Sara are most famous for. The boat the girls and their companions were on had begun to take on water and the engine had cut out so Sara, Yusra and a few others jumped into the water and took hold of the ropes on each end. They then swam the remainder of the journey. Yusra has often been commended for this action, but her sister and the others were just as heroic and deserving of recognition.

“When did our lives become so cheap? Risking it all, paying a fortune to climb onto an overcrowded dinghy and take our chances on the sea. Is this really the only way out? The only way to escape the bombs at home?”

When they were younger Sara and Yusra learnt to swim before they learnt to walk. He was a swim coach and his dearest dream was for them to become Olympians. A dream Yusra adopted for herself when she was six years old and her competitiveness meant she was well on her way to achieving her goals.

Then the Arab Spring happened in March 2011 and things in Yusra’s life began to change dramatically. It began with arrests and protests and gunfire in the streets. Then dodging shells in the street and being shot at by tanks becomes almost commonplace.

“In the beginning, the fear eats me up inside, not knowing if I’ll be next. And then, without me really noticing, the deaths became normal.”

Among the bombs and fighting Sara and Yusra still manage to find some semblance of a normal life, meeting with friends and experimenting with clothes despite the fact that, “Death is random, and ever present.”

When Yusra is 17 it becomes harder and harder to ignore the violence all around them and Sara and Yusra convince their parents to let them make the dangerous journey from their home in Syria to Germany. However, Yusra points out that if she had any real choice she would have stayed, no one chooses to be a refugee.

“I’m shocked at how determined I suddenly am. Leaving Damascus, leaving Syria, leaving my home. How did it get this far? The whole four years of the war flit before my eyes. The tanks, the bombs, the mortars, the gunfire. I’d stay if it stopped tomorrow. If only it would all stop.”

They have two choices on their journey to Germany: they can either go around the mountains and risk beatings by the Bulgarian police or they can make the dangerous journey by boat, a journey many thousands have made and not survived.

The girls and their companions opt for the boat journey, the most dangerous part of which is crossing the Hungarian border. A place where they faced extensive humiliation at almost every turn.

“I can’t bear to look the others in the face. The situation is just too embarrassing. We’re human beings, not animals. Yet here we are, like criminals crouching in a field, being hunted by the police.”

One of the most interesting parts for me to read was Yusra’s conflict with the label refugee.

“It’s the word. Refugee. It’s the bomb and the sea and the borders and the barbed wire and the humiliation and the bureaucracy. And yes, it’s the painful charity too.”

I empathised with her conflict over potentially being part of the refugee Olympic swim team. On the one hand she was obviously delighted at the opportunity but on the other hand there was that label again: refugee.

“I’m part of something much bigger. With the team, I’m representing sixty million displaced people across the world. It’s a huge responsibility, but I know my job. I have a message to spread: that being a refugee is not a choice. That we too can achieve great things.”

A fascinating read.

A powerful and incredibly moving story about one young woman's determination to achieve her dream of swimming at the Olympics, despite having to flee her home in Syria at the age of seventeen. Yusra Mardini dreamed of being an Olympian from a young age. Together with her older sister, and under the coaching of her father she began training at a local swimming club.. Determined and focused, she trained daily after school , and eventually represented her country at an international level. Unfortunately her world was slowly collapsing around her as the conflict in the middle east drew closer to home. Faced with the daily risk of death, her family reached the difficult decision that she and her sister should try to escape to Germany, in search of a better life. What followed was a harrowing, dangerous sea crossing in a flimsy dingy, and Yusra was eventually forced to swim for her freedom. Once she reached dry land, the danger and difficulty was far from over, and her honest account of her struggle to reach Germany made for incredibly compelling reading. I was so engrossed that I could not bear to put the book down until I could be sure she was safe.
Never letting her refugee status stand in her way, she found a swimming club and resumed her training, determined to regain the ground she had lost during her time away from the pool, and with the goal of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in her sights. However she was to achieve her dream even earlier, competing in Rio 2016 as part of a team composed of refugee athletes.
An incredibly inspiring true story, with moments of laughter and tears, and so much heart that it was impossible to put down.

did not expect Butterfly to touch my heart the way that it has. This Non-Fiction/memoir book which is based on real events is an incredible and moving read. My eyes have been firmly opened to the terror, not only in Syria, but other countries throughout the world that are experiencing similar events.
I am so thankful that this book came my way.
Opening with Yusra, as well as her sister Sara and other refuges, who are helplessly stranded in the ocean, they are in desperate need to cross from Turkey to Greece. The boat’s engine has failed and there is no one able to repair it. Yusra and Sara are both strong, experienced swimmers and find themselves in the dark depths of the ocean pulling the boat to shore.
The prologue gave me chills. I was not expecting the opening to be as strong and in your face as it was. I could not begin to imagine how everyone on the boat felt during this awful time.
We are taken to the beginning of Yusra’s life growing up in Syria. We learn that her father is a avid swimmer and this was how Yusra learned to swim and eventually, as she grew older, developed a dream to one day compete in the Olympics. Her determination and passion to make her dream a reality is strong throughout, she never gives up.
Amongst all the violence, destruction and death, she tries to have a normal life – like so many others. There is hope that the war will end and life will be as it once was. Yusra explains that everyone led a normal life before the war, taking down assumptions and prejudices that people have about Syria. Her words moved me. We only think of Syria as the conflict that it is now, heavily influenced by the media and encouraged to believe what they show us.
It was hard to read the many struggles that were faced after the boat incident. It is a long gruelling road before they can find salvation and at times it feels that they will never find peace. I believe that it is written this way, from an emotional perspective, to make the many like myself who have never known conflict like this or felt fear about their home being bombed or losing friends and family, think and reflect on what is happening out in the world.
Yusra writing style is very much to the point, no sugarcoatting or beating around the bush. She wants to get the message across and she does this perfectly. The directness of her words hit me everytime.
I admired not only Yusra’s strength but all the millions of people living the same nightmare and how they manage to persist when all seems lost. I was engrossed in this book – it’s definitely a story that you cannot put down because it happened and is still happening to millions of people.
You must read this book because you will learn something from it. Your eyes will open wide and you will be glad that you followed Yusra’s story.