This book. This story. What this young woman and her family went through, what countless people have gone through, are going through and sadly, will be going through, is nothing short of amazing. This book is SO timely and is important for all people to read, think on and act on.

I don't want to try to speak for this book, other than to say, please, READ it. Share it with others and let it inspire you to act. Whether it's writing a letter to a politician, giving money to a charity that helps refugees, or even meeting and helping them face-to-face, every action helps.

The best way to help those in the future from having to abandon their home is to help the situation there. Why are they fleeing? They don't WANT to leave their home, their country, their homeland. They just want to be safe and have enough to be safe and comfortable, what everyone wants. What is preventing that from happening and can we help? One person might not be able to, but if every one person got together and acted, then it transforms from a single snowflake into a blizzard or an avalanche.

I can't even begin to imagine having to leave everything I know and love, the people I love, just for a chance to be free and safe. This book helped me to imagine that, if only for a moment. This is so important for today, to be read and shared. This isn't a WWII holocaust book, talking about the candle that didn't go out. This isn't history for us, for us, it is NOW. This will be history to talk about later. Will the next generations to come talk about how we kept that candle lit and spread or will they be talking about how we blew that candle out?

5, this should be world required reading, stars. Recommended for all.

My thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.

Wow! What a powerful and inspiring memoir! Have your tissues handy when you read this, as you will need them!

This memoir is a suspenseful and timely chronicle of a young woman's journey from Syria to gain asylum in Germany. Yusra and her sister Sara "swim before they can walk". Their father, Ezzat, is a swimming coach near Damascus, where the family is middle class, Muslim, and well established—until violent regime change disrupts life as it has always been. By the time Yusra turns 17, many friends and family have dispersed to Lebanon, Turkey, or Europe. Violence claims some friends' lives and provokes the Mardini family to relocate several times within Syria. Her father loses his job and goes to Jordan, causing more family disruption. Eventually, the sisters decide to risk it all and seek sanctuary in Germany, where they hope to continue competitive swimming and their education. This book will be of interest to readers who want an insider's description of the complicated refugees' route from Syria to Europe. It's also filled with thoughtful meditations on the meaning of family, faith, and dedication to train as an elite athlete. “I don’t believe the secret of being happy is living a life free of problems. It’s about being able to smile despite the hardships.” Yusra does indeed achieve a dream to compete in the Olympics (Brazil, 2016). It’s her journey to get there that makes this a must-read inspiration.