Butterflies - Softcover

Gervay, Susanne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1610670434 ISBN 13: 9781610670432

Publisher: Kane Miller, 2011

Synopsis

Severely burned as a child, Katherine is now eighteen and trying to make peace between her inner, true self and the scarred exterior that everyone sees.

About this title

From the Author:

Susanne Gervay was honoured to speak at the World Burn Congress in New York, invited by The New York Firefighters, New York Presbyterian Hospital of Columbia and Cornell, Weill Cornell Medical College and Phoenix Society. This experience became incorporated into my USA and Korean editions of Butterflies.
It was one of the great moments of my life.
Addressing an audience of survivors, medical teams, firefighters, family and community was painfully confronting. I am a confident speaker who has spoken at major conferences and festivals throughout the world, but I was nervous. How could I address this audience? What if 'Butterflies' did not capture their journeys?
After my talk, a line of people wound around the room with 'Butterflies' to sign. They wanted to touch and connect with me. Then there was the pivotal moment when a girl with facial reconstruction said to me:
'I'm 15, nearly 16′ with her softly spoken voice and we touched hands, nothing more had to be said. It was deeply emotional - she wanted to know there was a future for her, and there is.
I was privileged to address the Congress and be part of the faculty with Kim Phuc.
On June 8, 1972, Kim Phuc's village of Trang Bang came under attack by South Vietnamese planes that mistakenly dropped napalm on a Buddhist pagoda in an area that the North Vietnamese were infiltrating. As the villagers ran, children died, but Kim escaped screaming, badly burned by napalm. Nick Ut's Pulitzer Prize winning photo captured her escape and his photo became the symbol of the civilian tragedy of war.

Kim's keynote was inspiring as she related her courageous journey through burns and life to forgive the bombers and use her life to bring healing and peace. She is the UNESCO Ambassador for Peace and has established the Kim Phuc Foundation for the child survivors of war.

About the Author:

Susanne's passion is empowering readers with story. Story that brings hope to children and adults, as they navigate a complex world. As the child of refugees, growing up with the emotional complexities of parents who had been through the war, migration and loss, books were Susanne's source of hope and courage. It has been the driving force in her 20 year immersion in the writing industry, as a writer, mentor, speaker, advocate for literacy and social justice for young people, adults and their communities. Her books range from picture books, children's, young adult and adult stories. The I Am Jack books have become rite-of-passage on school bullying adapted into an acclaimed play by Monkey Baa Theatre, touring Australian and US theatres.

Susanne is an international and national speaker who has addressed audiences from New York to Delhi on the power of story to create discussion in diverse areas including disability, inclusion, multiculturalism, bullying, inclusion, peace.

Susanne has been honoured by receiving many awards including; the Lifetime Social Justice Literature Award for Children's Literature by the International Literacy Association, an Order of Australia for literature, the Lady Cutler Award for Distinguished Services to Children's Literature, the Award of Excellence for Services to the Arts, University of Technology Sydney, award for Outstanding Youth Literature on Disability, IBBY for YA novel 'Butterflies', Awards, short listings, notables for her books from many organisations including The Society of Women Writers, Children's Book Council Australia, The Australian Family Therapists' Award for Children's Literature, Children's Peace Literature Award.

About this edition

• Publisher: Kane Miller
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1610670434
• ISBN 13: 9781610670432
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256