In the Time of Butterflies

Julia Alvarez's In the Time of Butterflies fictionalizes the rebellion against the dictator Trujillo in her birth country, the Dominican Republic. While the events of the story are accurate in a broad sense, Alvarez has developed her own versions of the Mirabal sisters, known as "Las Mariposas" -- the Butterflies. What makes the story so powerful is Alvarez's decision not to deify the sisters, but to show the human side of national heroes. The decision …

… to be brave and to understand what is happening to her country and to her family. A struggle she continues with even as an adult. This character reminds me of myself. We are both flighty and romantic in thought, but when it comes to fear, we are very real. I was impressed by Alvarez's ability to be in the minds of four sisters at once; how each chapter was a different perspective was interesting. .