Damascus is Yusra's home. It’s where she goes to school, hangs out with her friends and, for her most importantly, where she swims. Pushed by her coaching father, Yusra dreams of making it to the Olympics someday.
Until the Syrian Civil War began.
It's not long before home is no longer safe - suddenly she and her family are caught in the crossfire and death is an actual possibility every day.
So they make a choice. And that choice means that one day Yusra finds herself in an overcrowded inflated raft on the sea between Turkey and Greece, staring death in the face again. Her story will make headlines later as she becomes a poster child for refugee adolescents everywhere.
There is nothing like reading someone’s story to truly put a face on a tragedy so huge it’s hard to comprehend. I have never taken the refugee journey with someone like I did in this book, not a modern one anyway. Not when the person living it is the same age my daughter was at the same time, living an unthinkable life and having to make unthinkable decisions. Yusra’s voice isn’t melodramatic or conceited and she’s open about the times when she could’ve handled things better. Mostly, she’s real. She makes me care about her. I loved her story of perseverance and passion - and I loved how she made peace with her experience by sharing it with others in the hope to encourage others in a similar position.
So they make a choice. And that choice means that one day Yusra finds herself in an overcrowded inflated raft on the sea between Turkey and Greece, staring death in the face again. Her story will make headlines later as she becomes a poster child for refugee adolescents everywhere.
There is nothing like reading someone’s story to truly put a face on a tragedy so huge it’s hard to comprehend. I have never taken the refugee journey with someone like I did in this book, not a modern one anyway. Not when the person living it is the same age my daughter was at the same time, living an unthinkable life and having to make unthinkable decisions. Yusra’s voice isn’t melodramatic or conceited and she’s open about the times when she could’ve handled things better. Mostly, she’s real. She makes me care about her. I loved her story of perseverance and passion - and I loved how she made peace with her experience by sharing it with others in the hope to encourage others in a similar position.
My only gripe is that her internal monologue does get a bit repetitious but 4.5 stars for making me feel and care and for an incredibly inspiring story.
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