Butterfly cover art

Butterfly

From Refugee to Olympian, My Story of Rescue, Hope and Triumph

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Butterfly

By: Yusra Mardini
Narrated by: Lameece Issaq
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About this listen

"Being a refugee is not a choice. Our choice is to die at home or risk death trying to escape." (Yusra Mardini)

Yusra Mardini fled her native Syria to the Turkish coast in 2015 and boarded a dinghy full of refugees bound for Greece. When the small and overcrowded boat's engine cut out, it began to sink. Yusra, her sister and two others took to the water, pushing the boat for three and a half hours in open water until they eventually landed on Lesbos, saving the lives of the passengers aboard.

This is the story of that remarkable woman, whose journey started in a war-torn suburb of Damascus and took her through Europe to Berlin and from there to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Yusra Mardini is an athlete, one of People magazine's 25 women changing the world, a UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador and one of Time magazine's 30 most influential teens of 2016.

©2018 Yusra Mardini (P)2018 Macmillan Digital Audio Sports Water Sports Women Refugee War Middle East

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All stars
Most relevant
I could not stop listening to the excellent narrator telling us about the courageous journey of this woman and her family. One of the best books I have listened to in quite some time.

Breathtakingly awesome story

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This book is honest and simple. It made me aware of how naive and I am. It was a wonderful read.

An amazing and truly grounding book

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What a story of a tenacious young woman surrounded by a strong supportive family. This is a must read as it tells the very human side of conflict and family. The terrible but inspiring challenge of becoming a refugee. No word should ever define a human but the word refugee is just so small to encompass the variety of trauma anyone has gone through escaping from war or discrimination.

A MUST read

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I’ve been waiting for this story for a long time and wasn’t at all disappointed! An incredible story of Yusra and her sister’s determination to survive, with some valuable lessons for everyone to take away.

Inspiring

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Loved it. compketely binged listened to this one! i would highly recommend to all.

An excellent story

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