BPB invites you to discuss the inspiring story of sisters Yusra and Sarah Mardini on Zoom on Wednesday, April 26 at 7 p.m. This quarter, there are two ways to engage before our discussion:

Read Yusra Mardini’s memoir “Butterfly: From Refugee to Olympian – My Story of Rescue, Hope and Triumph.” Or, you can watch the biographical sports drama The Swimmers. Based on the true story of Yusra and Sara Mardini, Sally El Hosaini’s “The Swimmers” is a touching portrait of their fight to survive and achieve the impossible.

The sisters grew up in Syria, training to become swimmers, until the Syrian civil war, which broke out in March 2011. The fighting and bombing resulted in their house being destroyed, and Ezzat, the girls’ father, was taken away and tortured after being mistaken for someone else. When an unexploded bomb landed in the pool where they trained, Sara realized that they needed to leave. In August of 2015, their parents decided to send them to Europe.The sisters packed into a small rubber boat to try to reach Europe from the Turkish Coast. The book and movie tells the gripping tale of their journey.

The hope and determination of the Mardini sisters’ story transcends medium. Please invite your family, friends and colleagues to join – all are welcome.