Yusra Mardini, Butterfly

I read this book in my garden in July in one sitting, and I had some terrible tan lines to prove it. I saw Yusra swim in the Rio 2016 Olympics, I just happened to turn on the tv at the right moment and heard the commentators mention her journey from Damascus to Germany and specifically the crossing from Turkey to Lesbos, where she and her sister, Sara, used their strength in the water to keep their boat afloat. I have been following Yusra on Instagram for a while now and when I saw that she has written a book about her journey I didn’t hesitate in ordering it straight away.

There are not enough refugee voices and narratives and so we really recommend you take the time to read Yusra’s book ‘Butterfly’, it will give you an insight into the perilous journey millions of people have been making from the Middle East into Europe. ‘Butterfly’ is also a story of a determined athlete and her journey to the Olympics and the commitment, sacrifice and talent it takes to get there.

Yusra has used her voice to highlight that ‘a refugee is a human being like any other’ and has become an UNHCR’s youngest Goodwill Ambassador, she has met President Obama and the Pope - we can’t wait to see what she does next.

We will be cheering Yusra all the way to Tokyo 2020! Yusra for gold!