Yusra Mardini: Refugee Hero and Olympic Swimmer

There are many biographies available for school-aged children, most of the subjects, both historical and contemporary, are well-known, from Sydney Crosby to Amelia Earhart. The “Remarkable Lives” series published by Crabtree Publishing Company, focuses on relevant, topical themes even though some of the subjects of the biographies are lesser known.

Yusra Mardini is not a household name, but she was one of 10 athletes on Team Refugee in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil. Yusra Mardini: Refugee Hero and Olympic Swimmer, by Kelly Spence, focuses on Yusra’s journey and her story of survival before she joined the team. Yusra grew up in Syria, and she and her sister trained daily to earn spot on the Syrian National swim team. But in 2011, a civil war broke out between rebel groups and the government. Although Yusra wasn’t immediately affected, that changed when a bomb destroyed the pool where she trained.

Yusra’s father left for work in Jordan, and he sent money to his family. In 2015, when Yusra was 17, she and her older sister Sarah decided to escape to Germany as Syria was no longer safe. It wasn’t an easy journey. They went by plane to Lebanon and then to Turkey where they were smuggled by boat to Greece. However, while on the small boat intended to hold seven people, more than 20 were huddled together. When the boat’s motor died, the boat was at risk of capsizing. Yusra, Sarah and two men got out of the boat, and swimming in the cold, dark water, they towed it to shore. The sisters struggled in Greece, but they eventually made it to the border between Serbia and Hungary. Eventually, after 25 days, they arrived in Germany where they lived in a refugee camp and applied for asylum.

At the refugee camp, the sisters met a translator who helped them find a swimming club. There, they met Sven, who saw potential in Yusra. Sarah suffered an injury from towing the boat, an injury which derailed her swimming dreams. In 2016, the sisters left the refugee camp and were reunited with their family. Yusra began training again, and in 2016 the International Olympic Committee decided a team of refugees could compete in Brazil. Many athletes applied, but only 10 were selected. Yusra was among them. She only had a few months to train before attending the Olympics. She competed in Brazil, but she didn’t qualify for the next race.

After the Olympics, she travelled to the United Nations in New York where she spoke at the Leader’s Summit on Refugees. Since then, she has received many awards for her work about creating awareness about refugees.

Although Yusra won’t be well-known to the intended audience of this book, her story is timely and relevant. This book tells the story of a young refugee, a girl slightly older than the elementary school children who will be reading it. This book presents a hero who perseveres, despite the obstacles of family separation, war, danger, violence, isolation and language and cultural barriers. Yusra has written a book, and her life will be made into a movie. She is training for the 2020 Olympics, and so readers can continue to follow her story.

This book aims to expand the vocabulary of its readers by presenting words and subjects like refugees, asylum, war. It explains these words and also puts the correct pronunciation in parenthesis. Each page includes a picture, a quote or a graphic with the words “Think About it” that encourages readers to apply what they just read to their own lives and experiences. For example, when Yusra moves to a refugee camp in Germany and stands in line each day hoping to receive asylum papers from the government, the “Think About it” section asks, “Imagine that you suddenly had to move to a new country. How would you feel? What challenges might you face?” These questions, found throughout the book, are excellent conversation starters for teachers, or parents, to engage readers about difficult, but topical, subjects.

To further readers’ understanding of the subjects covered in this book, the author includes a Glossary, Writing Prompts, a section on Learning More which includes additional reading and websites to further their understanding of a refugee’s journey.

Although readers might not immediately gravitate to a book with a young unknown swimmer on the cover, when they read it they will develop a better understanding of what it means to be a refugee, to seek asylum and to persevere and achieve a goal. Yusra’s story personalizes a subject that may have eluded young students. In fact, readers may recognize classmates’ experiences in Yusra’s story. This book is an excellent, timely Social Studies support text at the junior and senior level in elementary school.